The Underground
by JellyLollie
Summary: High School AU in which Jack and Elsa are opposite forces who have to work together without people around them finding out. Jack has a crush on her, she has better things to do with her life. Checks many fanfiction 101 boxes, I guess. Dumb, light and fun premise. Jelsa. Hints of Hiccstrid, Hanna, and Kristanna.
1. Chapter 1

_Tick, Tock. Tick. Tock._

 _Tick._

 _Tock._

 _He stared at the wall as the pointers of the clock moved one agonizing second at a time, wondering what in the goddamn world he had done now to be summoned to the principal's office._ _Admittedly, he was no model student—he was in no place to argue with that, but he had been a good boy, hadn't he? He even copied all of Hiccup's homework without being busted. So why was he there? What kind of business Principal Calhoun would have that was important enough to delay his sacred weekend plans?_

 _He heard footsteps on the hallway, and his head instinctively turned in the noise's direction. He watched a blonde girl walk to the counter, and he immediately recognized her:_ _Elsa Arendelle from the Drama Club._

 _"Hi, I'm here to talk to Principal Calhoun," Elsa said, smiling politely at the secretary._

 _"She'll be with you in a minute," Roz replied._

 _Elsa nodded, turning around, and finally noticed him watching her._

 _"Hey," he greeted with his trademark charm._

 _"Hi." She sat down, leaving an empty chair as a physical barrier separating them. She sat completely straight, resting her folded hands on her thighs and stealing glances at the door to the principal's office._

 _Jack watched with amusement as she bit her lower lip and crossed and uncrossed her ankles._

 _"Calhoun tries to look way more intimidating than she actually is. Whatever trouble you're in, I'm sure it's not gonna be that bad."_

 _The girl arched an eyebrow at him. "Gee, thanks for the words of wisdom."_

 _He shrugged. "I'm just trying to be nice because, you know, you look like you're having a stroke."_

 _"Your worry is greatly appreciated," Elsa said, flashing him what looked like a well-rehearsed smiled. "But not needed."_

 _"Whatever you say…" he grumbled, going back to staring at the clock._

 _And they waited for what felt like an eternity of uncomfortable silence, broken only by Roz's occasional loud coffee slurping, until the principal's door opened, and Tamora Calhoun appeared in all her authoritarian glory. "Ms. Arendelle, Mr. Frost," she called and gestured with her head to her office. "If you please."_

 _Jack went in first, followed closely by the blonde girl. He was surprised to find another student in there already. Jack knew he was the Student Council's president, but he couldn't remember for the life of him the guy's name. The president dude was sitting in one of the three chairs positioned in front of Calhoun's desk and smiled as they entered, so Jack nodded at him in acknowledgment._

 _"Have a seat," Calhoun said as she closed the door. "I assume introductions are not needed," she added as she sat down and leaned back on her seat. "But just in case, this is Tadashi Hamada, our Student Council president."_

 _"Hi," he greeted. "I'm happy to finally meet you two."_

 _Jack frowned with suspicion at that statement but chose not to say anything._

 _"And these are Miss Elsa Arendelle and Mr. Jack Frost," Calhoun continued, glaring at Tadashi. "But you already knew that, since you chose them."_

 _"Uh…" Elsa held one finger up. "Chose us? What would that be about?"_

 _Calhoun sighed, intertwining her fingers and resting her hands on the table. "Have you heard of a blog named The Underground?"_

 _Jack snorted, leaning back. "Haven't everyone?"_

 _Elsa nodded in agreement._

 _The Underground was a blog with unknown origins whose popularity had grown alarmingly among students. The posts were usually testimonies anonymously sent by someone in the student body, or entries on_ _school_ _events and daily life. And all posts were signed by one user known only as Babydoll. As more people read the blog, Babydoll became an idol of sorts, and people adored her for her frank opinions, her sympathetic advice, and her authentic sense of humor. Babydoll's digital influence gave her enough power to rule the entire school, and anyone with half a brain knew better than to challenge her in any way._

 _"Precisely." The principal closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. As she opened her eyes, she added, "Well, meet Babydoll." And she pointed at the guy sitting on the first chair._

 _"What?" Elsa was frowning. "I thought Babydoll's identity was supposed to be a secret. Why are you telling us this?"_

 _"Wait, wait, wait…" Jack turned on his seat to stare at the Student Council's president. "You're Babydoll?"_

 _"Well.." Tadashi scratched the back of his neck with embarrassment. "I'm one Babydoll."_

 _Jack gasped, placing a hand over his chest dramatically. "There's more than one Babydoll?"_

 _"I'm currently the only one," Tadashi admitted. "But ever since The Underground was… restructured"—he looked back at the principal, and she nodded her approval at the word choice,—"the position has been passed on from one student to another."_

 _Jack shook his head in disbelief. He took a glimpse at the girl sitting next to him, and the fact that she seemed as surprised as him gave him a sense of relief._

 _"Teenagers these days seem to have problems with long-term memories, so you may not remember this," Calhoun interrupted his jumbled up inner conflict, speaking slowly. "But The Underground started as a gossip network to defame students, and_ _people were negatively affected by whatever was being written in that blog. Thankfully, we managed to shut it down, and its creator received the punishment they deserved. A few months later, however, I had a student coming into my office with a proposal for turning the blog into a space where students could express themselves anonymously."_

 _Jack's eyes met Elsa's, and he saw his own feelings reflected in her eyes—a mixture of surprise, confusion, overwhelm, disbelief, and even a hint of excitement._

 _Tadashi cleared his throat. "What we want is for The Underground to be a safe place for students to interact without the fear of being judged. We want them to know that they are understood and that there's someone out there that got their backs."_

 _"And here… is where you two come in."_

* * *

 **The Underground**

 _Where Hawthorne High's student body can let their words fly high and free in the comfort of anonymity._

Inbox is open for submissions. Keep in mind that identities will be kept secret and Babydoll does not tolerate hatred, cursing or any sort of disrespect.

Oh, the season for red paper hearts and chocolate boxes is here, Undergrounders. What was my surprise when I opened my window this morning and was slapped in the face by a gush of fresh air carrying the sweet and addicting scent of romance. Like that John Paul Young's song, Love is in the air, dears. And it's also overflowing in my inbox. Needless to say why, I believe. You should all be aware that February 14th is just around the corner.

Now, I know some have already put your love plans into action and are preparing for the most romantic holiday of the year, and I tip my proverbial hat to you. As for the rest of my readers, the clock is ticking and time is a precious and limited resource that should be used wisely.

Remember, boys and girls, you can't just wait around for your knight in shining armor to find you. I spend good money on conditioning my hair and if you think I'm gonna let some guy use it as rope, you've got another thing coming, buddy. You're not gonna get anywhere near a strand of my silky hair and I can get out of the tower on my own, thank you very much. In case you didn't enjoy the fairy-tale metaphor, that was my roundabout way of saying that you gotta get out there in the big scary world by yourselves, darlings. If you want anything to start, you gotta make the first move yourself.

So step it up, Undergrounders, mating season is officially open, and I expect good reports. Clean up, find that lucky bracelet, pick the perfect outfit, wear that nice fragrance that'll drive them crazy, have a breath mint, or do whatever you need to psych yourself and off you go, my children. Make sure to tag your boo in that cheesy kissy photo and show the rest of the world how in love you are. And by boo, I might as well be referring to a whole pint of chocolate fudge brownie ice cream fifteen minutes to midnight. Heaven knows ice cream never let me down before.

But that's a topic for another day.

Shall we head to today's mail?

 **I_throw_pennies_in_ponds:** Roses are red, violets are blue. You may not know this, but I like you. I'm just a dorky guy with cheesy poetry and pickup lines. But I was wondering if you were free to spend with me this Valentine's. S, you're the only girl I see. What do you say about you and me?

 **Babydoll:** Roses are red, violets are blue. Somebody write Babydoll some poetry too!

 **D4nc3W1thM3:** A, I'm a huge fan of yours and you're the prettiest girl in school. I know we never really met but I wanted you to know that I feel better just by seeing you in the hallways. I like you and I wish you were mine.

 **Babydoll:** Slow down, kid! Why don't you get to know each other first and get to talk a little? Besides, everybody knows Babydoll is the prettiest girl in school.

 **ShyBoy:** Dear Babydoll, how do you know when's the right moment to kiss her?

 **Babydoll:** Well, if your girl wants you to kiss her, she'll send you signs. Maybe she'll play with her hair, or lick her lips, or her voice will be low and hoarse. But I'd say you should pay close attention to her eyes. The eyes communicate much more than you'd expect, sweetheart. You may notice her eyes drifting to your lips, and that's either a sign that she wants you too, or that you have something stuck on your teeth (in that case, just check a mirror before meeting her)… She'll look at you and you'll feel like drowning in the depths of her irises. Her eyes will soften and lure you closer, and you'll know it's time. But if you still feel overwhelmed when that time comes, just count to three. Key to kissing someone is to relax and enjoy the moment, and that applies to everyone out there. I have all the faith in you, ShyBoy. You'll do great, and you'll sweep that girl off her feet. Trust Babydoll on this.

 **Tigerlilly:** Dear Babydoll, I wrote to you last week, and I just wanted to thank you for your advice. You're awesome.

 **Babydoll:** You're welcome, babe! Babydoll loves helping her Undergrounders out.

 **2punchez:** Dear Babydoll, who are you? I think I figured out who you are. Just give me a hint on what you were wearing yesterday?

 **Babydoll:** On Wednesdays, Babydoll wears pink.

Keep your heads up, Undergrounders.

Love,

Babydoll

* * *

She finished filling her travel coffee mug as she did every morning before school. She took a quick glance at her sister and had to hold a laugh at the sight of Anna sitting at the breakfast bar with her eyes glued to her cellphone, her mouth half-open, and a spoon full of cereal held in midair.

"Anna, what are you doing?"

Anna shoved the spoon inside her mouth and munched on her soggy cereal. "Nothing," she muttered nonchalantly.

"Well, hurry up if you don't want to take the bus to school. I'm leaving."

"No, wait!" Anna squealed and poured the remnants of her breakfast inside her mouth.

"Slow down, or you're gonna choke." Elsa sighed. "I'll be waiting in the car."

"I'm almost done!" Anna shouted, but Elsa had already left the kitchen.

Elsa waited some solid five minutes before Anna showed up on the front porch. Elsa lowered her window and shouted, "Don't forget to lock the door!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm locking the door," Anna grumbled, returning to do so. She walked to the passenger's seat and slammed the car's door with more force than needed.

Elsa said nothing, but one of her eyebrows arched upwards as she turned on the car. "Ready to go?"

"Yes," Anna replied, putting on her seat belt with a huff.

As she dove, Elsa kept glancing at her sister from the corner of her eyes, noting that Anna was enthralled by her phone's content again. "No music today?"

Usually, Anna would keep switching radio stations until she found some song she liked, but with her focus on other matters, the car ride had been awfully quiet that morning.

"Sorry." Anna turned on the radio on a random music station. "There's a new post on The Underground."

Elsa snorted, rolling her eyes. "Of course there is."

She spotted her cousin waiting at the usual spot and stopped the car so the girl could get in.

"Morning, ladies," the girl said as she slid inside the back seat.

"Good morning, Rapunzel."

"Hey, Punz," Anna greeted, turning around on her seat. "Did you read it?"

"Oh, my God, YES!" Rapunzel squealed. "Did you get to the messages?"

"YES, THE FIRST GUY WAS SO CUTE! OH MY GOD!"

"TOTALLY! YOU THINK WE KNOW HIM?"

"OH MY GOD WHAT IF WE DO? THEN WHO WOULD THE GIRL BE?"

Elsa flinched, pressing a hand to her ear. "Keep it down, you two."

"Did you read it, Elsa?" Rapunzel asked, leaning forward with her arms on the front seats, excitement emanating from her skin.

"No, I did not have time to read it yet," Elsa replied, her eyes focused on the road.

"You should make time for it," Anna said. "It's Valentines's Day themed."

"Yeah, and there's this guy who wrote a poem for the girl he likes."

"Wait. Babydoll keeps identities anonymous."

"She does," Rapunzel agreed.

"Then why is this guy writing poems anonymously? The girl will never know."

"If they love each other, she will," Anna argued. "Love always finds a way."

"Speaking from experience, sister of mine?"

"… No… But that would be so romantic!"

"Yeah!" Rapunzel nodded. "The anonymous message could be what sparks their love story. That would be cute."

Elsa shook her head as they entered the school's parking lot. "You two are hopeless."

Anna shrugged. "I'm pretty sure he's someone from the Drama Club."

"Why's that?" Elsa asked.

"It's totally a drama kid thing to do. You know, because we just did Shakespeare and all."

Rapunzel nodded. "Totally."

Elsa laughed. "School is a lot bigger than that. And we aren't the only ones who read poetry," she said, parking the car and turning the ignition off.

Rapunzel shrugged. "You never know."

"Wouldn't it be nice if it was someone we knew?" Anna fantasized, hopping out of the car.

"What difference would it make?" Elsa asked, looking at her sister from over the car's roof.

"Would be nice to give a face to a name, that's all," Anna sheepishly replied.

"Just like knowing who Babydoll is," Rapunzel added.

Elsa laughed as the three of them headed to the school's main entrance. "Join the club. Pretty much the whole school wants to know."

"Well, call me Detective Anna and sign me up for that case."

"Good luck with that," Rapunzel mocked as she linked arms with Anna.

Anna furrowed her eyebrows. "Wait, I thought you had my back, Punz."

Rapunzel shrugged. "I like Babydoll being an incorporeal existence. And The Underground wouldn't be the same if people knew who she was."

Elsa smiled surprised at her cousin's reply. "That's very mature of you, Rapunzel."

"Hey! What about me?" Anna pouted. "I'm mature too!"

"You sure are, Anna," Rapunzel said, rubbing Anna's arm affectionately.

Anna groaned. "Just you wait. I'll figure out who she is and then we'll see who'll be laughing then."

"Can't wait for that to happen—" Elsa said as they entered the school, but her attention soon drifted to the crowd of students gathering in a messy circle.

"What's going on there?" Rapunzel asked, lifting herself on her tiptoes as she tried to get a better look at the commotion.

"Only one way to find out…" Anna mumbled as she led them in its direction.

* * *

Backpack casually slung over one shoulder, Jack walked down the hallway, whistling some random melody with a big grin on his face. Every time he heard something about _it_ , his humor improved, and he felt like high five-ing strangers and twirling ladies around.

"Oh, I'm most certain it was for me!" he heard a girl saying.

"Your name doesn't even start with an S," another girl told the first one.

"It could be a decoy."

"If you say so…"

Jack felt his smile widen a little more. He kept walking, his ears attentive to the murmurs of conversation around him until he spotted his best friend's messy mop of hair in the crowd. The guy was sitting on the concrete rail, giggling at something on his phone.

Jack walked around his friend and leaned over, resting his chin on the brunet's shoulder. "Morning, babe," he said, wrapping his arms around Hiccup's middle.

Hiccup winked at the silverhead. "Hey there, handsome."

Jack sat beside his friend. "What you smiling at?"

"New post on The Underground," Hiccup said with a shrug. "Did you read it?"

Jack groaned. "It's too early for reading."

"Well, it will be worth your brain effort. Babydoll's humor is as entertaining as usual."

Jack stared at him with a smirk on his lips. "My, Hiccup. If I didn't know better, I'd say you're also a fan of the anonymous queen."

Hiccup laughed, throwing his head back. "Maybe."

"So what is it about?"

"Kids are in full romance mode. More love messages than usual."

"Hmm..." Jack nodded. "What about you, gonna send Astrid something?"

"Nah." Hiccup shrugged. "Astrid doesn't read The Underground, and she doesn't understand the appeal of anonymous declarations of affection."

Jack leaned back on his hands and crossed his legs. "Some girls find that romantic."

"I'm sure they do," Hiccup conceded. "My girlfriend is not one of those girls, though. Besides, now that we're kinda together, I don't need the messenger. I could just walk to her and—"

"Kiss her relentlessly and leave her lightheaded, trying to figure out what just happened."

Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck as he jumped off the rail. "That too, I guess..."

Jack slid off the rail as well, and they headed to their first class together. As they walked, they saw people sneering and whispering to each other, and it sent a warning sign to Jack's brain. Noticing that the murmurs were directed at a specific area ahead, the silverhead exchanged confused glances with his friend.

"What's that about?" Hiccup mused out loud.

"… You know, when Babydoll said to wear a scent that would drive people crazy, she didn't mean your ogre stench grossing everyone out!" they heard someone saying.

As they got closer and wandered through the students, Jack recognized one of the persons involved.

"What did you say, small fry?" Shrek, the captain of the soccer team, snarled, grabbing a scrawny kid by his collar and lifting him off the floor.

"Your hearing sucks for someone with such huge ears," the skinny boy said, his voice constricted by the near-strangulation happening.

"Oh, ho, ho. You did not just say that!" Shrek's friend, a short guy nicknamed Donkey shouted, jumping up and down and moving his arms dramatically. "Shrek, don't let him talk to you like that!"

Jack hissed. Shrek's aggressive demeanor was something not exclusive to the soccer field, and he could see in his mind the bloodbath that would follow if things kept going down the path they were going. His hero complex kicked in, and he pushed past people to get to the center of the mess.

"Hey, big guy! Watcha doing here?" he asked, throwing an arm around the captain's broad shoulders and casually pulling Shrek back.

"Giving this nerd what he deserves," Shrek spat.

"Now, that wouldn't be very smart, would it?" Jack mused, rubbing his chin in a contemplative manner.

"Calhoun hears that you got into another fight, she will kick you out of the team, bro," Hiccup added, standing on Shrek's other side.

Shrek seemed to consider the pair's words for a moment. "Fine." He groaned as he pushed the other guy against the lockers. Narrowing his eyes, he added, "Do yourself a favor and stay the fuck out of my way, freak."

Shrek turned around, and very discreetly, Jack mouthed for the kid to get out. The kid begrudgingly nodded, adjusting the collar of his shirt, and left in the opposite direction of the soccer team's captain.

Jack clapped twice, looking around the crowd of snooping students. "Alright. Show is over, you vultures." He shooed people with wide arm gestures. "Come on, move along, there's nothing to see here…"

Shrek reunited with his friends, and Jack and Hiccup silent agreed to watch from the sidelines to make sure that no more quarrels started.

"That Babydoll bitch has to go," they heard Shrek grumbling to his friends as they left to their classroom.

Jack sighed, rubbing his temples. "Guess you can't win everyone," he mumbled.

"What was that?" Hiccup asked, looking back at him.

Jack shook his head. "Nothing." Jack adjusted his backpack straps and straightened up. "Let's get out of here before somebody tries to blame us again."

Hiccup nodded. "Right behind you."

* * *

Eugene had been sitting on the edge of the stage with his feet dangling as he scrolled down on his phone. As he kept reading, he heard a cry of pain and metalic objects crashing on the floor, and his eyes instinctively moved in the sounds' direction.

"Ow! Kristoff!" Rapunzel cried, scowling at the brick wall of a guy standing in front of her.

"Sorry," Kristoff mumbled, putting a pile of cardboard boxes on the floor. He knelt down and started picking the scattered objects he must have dropped when bumping into the blonde.

"Try being more careful," she scolded as she and other members of the drama club helped him pick up the dropped items.

Eugene sensed someone approaching him, and he met eyes with one of his friends.

"What's that rock troll still doing here?" Hans asked with contempt as he stopped beside Eugene and glared at the scene.

"Didn't you hear? He's serving detention."

"What for?"

"Who knows?" Eugene shrugged. "Some kind of trouble with the janitor's floor polisher, maybe."

"And they sent him here to the drama club?" Hans scoffed. "What are we? A charity organization for the troubled and rebellious youth?"

"Something like that," Eugene mumbled, his eyes returned to his phone. "Especially now that Elsa is in charge."

Hans shook his head. "Unbelievable."

"Tell me about it..."

"Mind telling me what's the oh-so-interesting thing you're looking at now?" Hans asked, and there was a hint of irritation in his voice.

"The Underground."

"Again?"

"There's a new post," Eugene said. "I had to read it."

"I honestly don't understand what the appeal is."

Eugene glared at his friend. "Babydoll is."

Hans snorted.

"There's something very alluring about her," Eugene explained. "My money is on her being smoking hot."

Hans chuckled with that superior attitude he usually carried. "Now, how would you know that?"

"It's the way she writes. She writes with confidence, and it's goddamn sexy."

"They're just words."

Eugene threw a glare in the other guy's direction. "You know, for a literate ass, you sure are skeptical about the significance of words."

"Words mean nothing when you don't know their source," Hans argued. "She could very well be a three hundred pound gentleman who lives in his mother's basement. And her name is Chuck." With an eyebrow arched, he added, "Think about that."

Eugene snorted leaning back on his hands. "Shut up. You don't even read The Underground."

"Fool yourself all you want." Hans let out a tired sigh. "Babydoll is a scammer."

"It takes one to know one…" a girl said, and both the guys turned to look behind them. Among others, she leaned over a long table, painting something with a large brush. Although her eyes were on the panel she was painting, they knew her attention was directed towards them.

"Still holding a grudge?" Hans asked the girl. "Water under the bridge, Anna."

Anna snorted, shoving the brush inside the paint can. "And am I supposed to just forget what a psycho you are?"

Hans rolled his eyes. "Your inability to move on concerns me."

Anna crossed her arms glaring at him. "You know what preoccupies me even more, Westergaard? Your fucking sociopathy!"

Before Hans could say anything in reply, their discussion was cut short by Elsa's shout on the megaphone, "Alright, everyone!" She purposefully threw a glare at both Anna and Hans. "Break's over. Now get back to your places."

Students mumbled as they went back to the stage, and Elsa grabbed her script and flipped through its pages. "Hans, Eugene, Rapunzel. Why don't we go from the balcony scene?"

Rapunzel nodded, standing up. "Okay."

"Yes, ma'am," Eugene said and he and Hans walked to the center of the stage as well.

"And keep your phones off," Elsa said on the megaphone again. "I hear anyone saying another word about Babydoll, they're painting an entire set on their own."

* * *

Jack parked his car and took a quick glance at the rear-view mirror. His hair was still humid from the quick shower, but that would have to do for now. He grabbed his bag from the passenger's seat before getting off the car and headed to the Lucky Cat Café. The bell on the door rang, and the Asian-American boy sitting on the counter looked up from the comic book he had been reading.

"Sup, Hiro?" Jack greeted the boy.

"Your girlfriend is cranky today," Hiro informed him.

"First of all, she's not my girlfriend," Jack said, walking towards the counter. "But thanks for the heads-up. Second, do you have any blueberry muffins?"

"Yep, and they're still warm." Hiro jumped off the stool and reached behind him for a clean plate.

"Perfect. I'll have one." He leaned over the counter, inspecting the food options through the glass display. "And also a cup of black coffee and a mocha."

Hiro put the muffin on the counter and went to the coffee machine. "Coming right up."

"So how are you, Hiro?" Jack asked as the coffee machine came to life, and it started grinding the beans.

Hiro shrugged. "Same old, same old. School's boring."

Jack nodded. "You played the new Hero's Duty yet?"

Hiro shook his head.

"Friend of mine just got me. We could play together when you're free."

Hiro turned to look at him with a smirk on his lips. "Are you challenging me, Frost?"

Jack shrugged. "Just go easy on me and try not to embarrass me too much."

"Trust me, you do plenty of that on your own."

"Oh, hello, honey," a female voice said, and Jack felt a gentle hand rubbing his shoulder.

Jack smiled at the woman behind him. "Hey, Cass. Busy day?"

"You have no idea," Cass said with a long sigh. "Can I get you anything?"

"Hiro already got my order, thanks."

"Take some cookies for you and Elsa. I'm trying out new recipes." Cassie put two golden-brown cookies with white chocolate chips on a plate. "Give me your feedback later."

"Will do."

Hiro put the coffees on a tray in front of the silverhead. "Here you go."

"Thanks, buddy."

Jack took a look around the room and headed straight to the window table occupied by a blonde girl typing away on her notebook computer at inhumane speed.

"You're late," the blonde said as soon as he was at earshot, her eyes not even moving from her screen.

"Sorry. Practice," he explained as he placed the tray on the table. He noticed she already had a cup of coffee next to her, and for a moment he worried he had jumped the gun. "But I come bearing peace offerings..."

She stopped typing to look at the tray, then at him as he sat across from her. "Thank you," she said as she replaced her empty cup from the new one. She took a sip of her plain black coffee before adding, "I changed a few things on the replies you wrote. Give it a last check and you can put it in the queue."

"What did you change?"

Elsa shrugged. "A few words here and there. Your Frost was showing too much."

He rolled his eyes as he put the muffin plate on her side of the table, to what she mumbled her gratitude. "I finished the 'Songs to make you cry' playlist. It's also ready to post," he informed, pulling his laptop from his backpack and powering it on.

"Are you sure we can post it without giving away who you are?" Elsa asked with a furrow of her eyebrows. "Musical taste could be a huge identifying factor."

Jack shrugged, playing with a cookie between his fingers. "It's not my top ten favorite songs, Queenie. It's saddest songs of all times for broken hearts. We're safe."

"If you say so."

"I do. And I also think we should continue with the morning posts."

Elsa laughed dryly. "Of course you would say that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Everybody was talking about The Underground today." Elsa looked at him from over their screens barrier. "I bet you loved the attention."

Jack frowned. "I'm not gonna lie, seeing our efforts being appreciated felt fucking amazing. But it's not like people were talking about me, you know."

"Even if they weren't chanting your name in the hallways, the current Babydoll is at least fifty percent you. And you love having the school buzzing about you—any version of you."

Jack smirked, leaning on his chair and folding his hands behind his head. "Still, morning posts clearly have a higher view rate, so we should keep doing that." He saw Elsa opening her mouth to protest, so he added before she could say anything, "And that's not only my ego speaking, it's the logical thing to do."

Elsa narrowed her eyes at him before conceding, "Do as you wish. Don't forget to put the new post on queue tonight, then."

"Aye, aye, cap," Jack said with a salute. "What are you working on?"

"Drafting some replies," Elsa mumbled.

"Don't forget to mark the ones you answered," Jack mocked. That was a mistake _he_ constantly made when they had first started working together all those months ago. Elsa would spend hours and hours every Thursday nagging about how his lack of organization made them discard a bunch of redundant material.

Jack smiled as he put his headphones on, and soft rock started playing in his ears. Adjusting himself on his seat, Jack focused his attention on his laptop, running his eyes through the answers Elsa had revised for him. Everything was fine, so he copied the text and adjusted the layout, adding it to The Underground's posting queue. Then, he opened a new text file and started writing some random sentences. Time passed as they worked silently on their separate tasks, reading and typing on their own machines.

At some point, Jack felt his neck stiffening and decided to grant himself a quick break. He stood up, stretching his back and rotating his shoulders. To his annoyance, his companion continued working as if he wasn't even there.

"So… how's the play coming out?" he asked, cracking his neck.

"Alright, I suppose." She stopped for a moment to rub her eyes, then went back to typing. "We're a little behind on the sets, but we're managing. At least everybody memorized their lines already. That makes rehearsing easier."

"Hm…" He looked at her, his mind trailing off with thoughts.

Elsa looked up at him with suspicion. "What?"

"I've seen a couple of school plays before… How come I don't remember seeing you?"

She laughed. "I'm not an actress. I work behind the stage, not on it."

Jack arched an eyebrow, looking at her with his chin resting on his hands. "Stagefright?"

"I _have_ been on stage before, if you must know," Elsa said with a roll of her eyes. "I just realized that directing was a job more suited to me."

"Bossing people around?"

Elsa smirked, raising her eyes to meet his. "Exactly."

Jack sighed. "And here I thought that was something exclusive between you and me."

She shook her head. "You're not that special, Frost."

"That means I'm a little special, right?"

"Of course," she said, patronizingly.

He smiled, leaning back. "Well, good luck. I'll make sure to be there."

Her eyebrows raised in surprise. "Will you now?"

Jack shrugged. "Sure. Babydoll has to cover school events."

"I'm already gonna be there," she reminded him.

"But you're biased. We need neutrality."

Elsa laughed. "Unfortunately, that's not going to be you either," she said, making him smile as well.

"I'm still coming to praise your hard work."

"I'm flattered. By the way, some boys from the drama club find you attractive. They said you were hot."

"Can't blame them," he said with a nonchalant shrug. But as her words ran through his brain once more, he frowned. "Wait. _Me_ me or like, fifty-percent me?"

"Does it matter?"

Jack gave the question a moment of thinking, then he replied, "I guess not. What about the girls?"

"I'm afraid I don't have that kind of information," she said, rolling her eyes.

Jack leaned over the table, intently looking at her eyes. "Let's be more specific, then… Do _you_ find me attractive?"

Elsa stopped typing, her fingers freezing in the air as she slowly raised her head to look at him. "Frost, what was rule four on our agreement?"

He pouted. "Jack Frost must contain his egotistical self while interacting with Elsa on behalf of The Underground," he mumbled the statement by memory. "You're such a killjoy, Queenie. What was rule number five again?"

She glared at him as she recited, "Elsa Arendelle must contain _her_ snobby, 'unfun', nerdy self while interacting with Jack on behalf of The Underground." She narrowed her eyes. "And how does stopping your sexual advances make me _unfun_?"

"Did you even hear what you just said?" Jack laughed, but his laughter stopped short as soon as he noticed the unamused expression on her face. "Sorry," he said, sounding half-apologetic. "You don't have to say anything."

"Good."

"... You and I know what your answer is anyway."

* * *

After his weekly meeting with Elsa had ended, he received a text from Hiccup saying that the gang was going to The Edge and asking if he wanted to come too. With a quick 'fuck yeah' reply to his friend, he hopped in his car and drove to The Edge, a cleverly named retro diner built on a hill with vew to the rest of the town. The Edge also happened to be the hangout spot for he, his friends, and a major part of Hawthorne's young population.

"So where did you go after school?" Astrid Hofferson, Hiccup's girlfriend asked him as they sat together at one of the tables set outside with burgers, fries, and milkshakes between them.

"Home," Jack answered with a shrug.

Astrid raised her eyebrows at him from across the table and crossed her arms. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah..."

"So it wasn't you hanging out at a coffee shop with that Arendelle girl from the Drama Club?"

"What?" Hiccup looked surprised from Jack to the girl sitting beside him, then back at Jack. "Frost and… was that Elsa? Or her little sister?"

Astrid shrugged. "I don't know that girl's name."

"If you must know, that was Elsa," Jack clarified, and as Hiccup's eyes widened, and Astrid chuckled smugly at him, he realized what he had just said. "Crap," he mumbled, grabbing his milkshake and slurping noisily to busy himself.

"Why were you with her?" Astrid asked.

"And why did you blatantly lie about it just now?" Hiccup added.

Jack shrugged, acting nonchalant. He took a quick look around their group and was glad to conclude that no one was paying attention to the conversation.

"No reason," he said looking back at the couple. "We just ran into each other. And I didn't lie. I went home, then went to grab a coffee and stopped to talk to her while I waited for my order." He threw a glare at Astrid before adding, "Which is what you probably saw, you Sherlock Holmes wannabe."

Astrid was unfazed by his animosity. "You both had your laptops on the table," she countered. "And you seemed quite comfortable with each other."

"Jesus Christ, Hofferson!" Jack threw his hands in the air. "What are you, some kind of stalker?"

Hiccup chuckled, throwing an arm around Astrid's shoulders. "Frost, what are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything," Jack mumbled, resting his arms on the table and pressing a hand to his face. "We… I… We're friends, kinda."

"Oh, sure you are," Hiccup scoffed. "Jack, you and I have known each other since kindergarten, and this is the first time I hear you saying anything about this supposed friendship with Elsa Arendelle. Not only that, but you guys are close enough to occasionally have coffee together?" Hiccup shrugged. "Sorry if I find it the tiniest bit suspicious."

Jack bit his tongue as he tried to come up with a plausible explanation. "It's… because we haven't been friends that long."

"Mmhmm…" Hiccup nodded. "So what's the story behind that?"

"You know how it is, Third." Jack shrugged. "… Valentine's Day is coming up and Super Silly Fun Land has that event for couples."

"Wait a minute..." Astrid held her index finger up as she stared at him incredulously. "Are you saying… that you're hanging out with this random girl for only God knows how long just so you can score some free merch on Valentine's Day?"

Jack gulped. "… Yep. That's exactly what I'm saying."


	2. Chapter 2

_He groaned, falling back on his chair and pressed his fingers to his eyelids._

 _'You look like you've been rescued from a burning building, Tadashi," she said, pulling out a chair and sitting across from him on the cafe table._

 _"I just came back from a meeting with Calhoun," Tadashi explained, taking off his cap and brushing his fingers through his hair. "She asked for the new name."_

 _"And?" She gestured at him with a spoon, encouraging him to continue._

 _Tadashi sighed in defeat. "And that's it."_

 _She frowned. "What, you didn't give her a name?"_

 _He shook his head, avoiding meeting her eyes. "I don't have one."_

 _"What do you mean, you don't have one?" She pointed a threatening finger in his direction. "I told you to start looking for a replacement, like, two months ago!"_

 _"I know!" He groaned, bumping his head on the table. His voice came out muffled by the wooden surface as he spoke, "And I did start looking, but I just couldn't settle for one person."_

 _"Alright." She leaned back, crossing her arms. "Elaborate."_

 _Tadashi moved his head so his cheek was still pressed against the table but he could articulate his words better. The emotional exhaustion kept his eyes closed. "I had someone in mind... but Calhoun was not okay with my pick." He chuckled as an attempt to lighten his sullen mood. "She nearly flipped when I mentioned his name. So she appointed another person for the job, who I'm sure would do great, but…" he trailed off with uncertainty._

 _"So? Go with your gut, moron," she said, checking her nails. "If you feel like he's the next one, then he's the next one. Calhoun will just have to accept your choice."_

 _"But the thing is…" Tadashi sat up and finally met her eyes. "Calhoun said he wasn't ready for the responsibility, that it would be too much for him… and she's probably right, you know?" He shrugged. "And the girl, the girl Calhoun suggested, she will nail it for sure. On paper, she's the one. But him? He's got the heart for it."_

 _"So let me get this straight... In terms of practicality, she's the pick to get the job done. And in terms of empathy and bonding with the audience, it's him."_

 _Tadashi groaned. "Now you get my frustration."_

 _"Actually, I don't."_

 _It took a moment for him to mouth his next words. "... Excuse me?"_

 _"Just pick both of them."_

 _He scratched the back of his neck, looking out through the window as he considered that option. "... I hadn't thought about that."_

 _"Well, clearly," she said with a contemptuous snort. "We wouldn't be in this debacle if you had."_

 _"Can I really do that?"_

 _"If you think it's the right answer."_

 _He paused for a moment, then he nodded slowly. "I do. I really do."_

 _"You've got your successors then. Congratulations." She rolled her eyes._

 _With his energies restored, he pulled out his notebook computer. "I better arrange another meeting with Calhoun to let her know."_

 _She leaned back, resting an arm over the chair backrest and chuckled. "You do that, pal."_

 _"Oh, man. I don't know what I would do without you."_

 _"Submitted yourself to a lot more of unnecessary suffering, that's for sure."_

* * *

 **The Underground**

 _Where Hawthorne High's student body can let their words fly high and free in the comfort of anonymity._

Inbox is open for submissions. Keep in mind that identities will be kept secret and Babydoll does not tolerate hatred, cursing or any sort of disrespect.

The Rolling Stones has a song called "You can't always get what you want". You don't need to know the song to find enjoyment in what I'm going to say next, but you might want to listen to it to understand the point I'm trying to make.

So Mick Jagger starts singing about a lady and her glass of wine. What he wanted? To meet her, to talk to get, to get to know her. Insert here every romantic interaction you find relevant. But life is tough and the world is a bad place. Oh, poor Mick. You just can't always get what you want. Activists won't always achieve their goals by protesting, medicine won't save you from death forever, things won't always work out with the one you like, and several doors will be slammed in your face.

You can only imagine how that concept messes up with our brains specifically. We teenagers, as holders of all reason and irrefutable truth, don't take failure very well, and we definitely don't like it when things don't go our way. So when you add High School to the equation, you just complicate things even more. Think about it: High School is the first stop on our journeys of self-discovery. It's also where we learn, amongst many other useful skills like how to algebra, or how to identify social pyramid components in modern environments, how to nurture our egos. And the world wants us to accept that a giant wall will stand in our way, so we might as well accept that we will end up breaking our noses when we run into it? Oh, hell no!

But Mr. Jagger had another point to make in his song. That "you get what you need". That even though you failed, even though your wishes didn't become a reality, that even though things didn't go as you wanted them to, you still got something out of it. You find out that you were better off without the lady with the wine, that medicines gave you just enough time to live, that you learned from your mistakes, that you turned around and there were other doors waiting to be opened.

Keep that in mind the next time you fail, Undergrounders. Don't go sulking around like it's the end of the world. Actually, scratch that. Sulk all you want. Drown yourself in ice cream. Cry. Hide in bed for days. Whine about it. Be mad. Scream. Break something. Go berserk.

Just remember to get back on your feet again.

No matter how much of a cliche it is, whoever said that life has its ups and downs was damn right. Even a perfect goddess like Babydoll has had her low points in life. And trust me, it was not pretty. So believe me when I say this: you're not alone.

Welp, now that the motivational speech is out of the way, shall we lighten the mood and head to the mail?

 **WakeMeUpAndIWillCutYou:** Dear Babydoll, I'm interested in this guy. Where do you think we should go so we can get to know each other better?

 **Babydoll:** There's no 'one size fits all' answer here. Pick somewhere that makes you feel comfortable. The location could also work as a conversation starter. As for me, invite me to Flo's Cafe for a hazelnut macchiato with chocolate sprinkles, and put one blueberry muffin on the side while you're at it. On Fridays, there's a 'two drinks for one' deal after six.

 **Hatesand:** I'm in a dump. Give me sad songs to heal broken hearts.

 **Babydoll:** Here's a playlist of the saddest songs of all times carefully chosen by yours truly. Enjoy.

 **sugarcube:** Dear Babydoll, are you an early bird, or a night owl?

 **Babydoll:** Depends on the moment, really. Babydoll is a flexible girl. But I'd say I'm in a night owl phase right now.

 **Blow_up_the_candles:** Dear Babydoll, my mom forgot about my birthday. Now I don't know if I'm sad or angry at her.

 **Babydoll:** Oh, that is just awful! If I were you, I'd remind her about the day she got a whole human being out of her vagina. Although, keep in mind that she must've had enough worries haunting her mind to forget such an important date. Mothers are human too, they're allowed to make mistakes. It doesn't make up for it, but Babydoll wishes you a happy late birthday, by the way.

 **manoverboard:** Dear Babydoll, why do I feel so lost?

 **Babydoll:** Because you're alive. And as long as you belong in that category, you'll continue to walk unwalked paths and sail unsailed seas. Ever heard about the 'entropy of the universe' thing? It says that the universe is formed by a bunch of hot and cold bodies and that they'll keep exchanging heat between themselves until they're all the same temperature. Hot and cold, up and down, in and out, clashing until unmovable, and then… death. So don't be upset that you're standing at a low point right now, it just means that you're moving upwards next.

 **Coolcoolcoolnodoubt:** Dear Babydoll, what do you do when one of your friends wants to break it off with another friend? Whose side are you supposed to be on? Help!

 **Babydoll:** Easy: who do you like the most? Being serious now, it's a really tough spot to be in. It's hard to determine who's at fault in an argument. The world is not black and white, and let's be real, no one is completely right in a fight. I would try to remain neutral if I were you. Oh, but watch out for anyone who tries to hold your friendship hostage of the fight. "Stop talking to X or we're not friends anymore" is not the way to go. Your relationships are yours to nurture or cut off, and no fight between friends should jeopardize that.

Have a great day, Undergrounders.

Love,

Babydoll.

* * *

She tapped her finger on her forearm impatiently. They had less than ten minutes before the first bell, and _he was late_.

If it wasn't enough that he had sent her a 'we need to talk' message and refused to explain anything else after that, he was also late. So there she stood, at the rarely used third-floor staircase, waiting for her secret partner to show up, praying that no one spotted them together, but also imagining terrible scenarios for this emergency meeting in her mind.

She heard footsteps at the bottom of the stairs, and her blood went cold. She held her breath, waiting for the other person to come to her sight. Elsa breathed out relieved as that familiar guy with the silver hair and cocky attitude approached her. "You're late," she hissed.

"Sorry," he said, and his voice sounded anything but apologetic.

She sighed, leaning back against the wall. "So what did we need to talk about that was so important?"

He huffed, messing his hair with a hand. "I may have fucked things up last night."

She narrowed her eyes, waiting for him to look at her, but he kept his eyes glued to the floor. "What the hell did you do?"

He took a deep breath before opening his mouth to explain. And so he explained. He explained everything. About how they had been spotted together, how he—very innocently, mind you—had gone to The Edge for milkshakes, how nosy Astrid Hofferson had demanded to know what was the relationship between him and Elsa, how he may have admitted being interested in her… and that he may have been trying to score a date with her on Valentine's day for free goods.

Elsa let the air out through her noses slowly. Her lips were pressed together in a thin line, and her eyes hadn't left him once while he talked.

He scratched the back of his neck, uncomfortable with the glaring and the cold silence. "Uh… Please, say something, Queenie."

She tsked. "You truly are an idiot."

"Okay, that was harsh," he mumbled with a frown.

"What—what is that supposed to mean exactly?" she asked, gesturing between them with her index finger.

Jack shrugged. "That I'm courting you at least until Valentine's day is over."

"Courting me?" She laughed despite the absurdity of the situation. "So what? You're gonna write me poetry and recite it under my balcony?"

He smirked. "I'm more of a boombox kind of guy."

She rolled her eyes. "Why on Earth would you tell such nonsense?"

"I panicked, okay?" He grunted. "You should be glad I didn't give away our big secret _and_ I threw Hofferson off our scent."

Elsa snorted. "Oh, I am so glad, Frost. Thank you for making me your newest conquest. Thank you so much for insinuating that I nurture romantic interest for you when in reality, I wouldn't dare be found in the same room as you if it wasn't for this stupid partnership!" her voice escalated with every word, her face turning red and her breath growing uneven as she spoke.

Jack looked at her, hurt clear in his eyes, but also anger and impatience. "Wow, Queenie. You sure know how to make a guy feel good about himself. What was I thinking, right? I so should've remembered what a living nightmare it would be for you to be involved with me." He laughed a humorless laugh. "My apologies."

The blonde let her anger fade slowly. Shaking her head, she sighed. "Couldn't you say that we were studying together? That's what I tell my sister."

Jack snorted. "Yeah, I copy all of my homework from Hiccup. There's no way he would buy that one."

Elsa arched an eyebrow at him. "You sound rather proud of being an idiot."

He shrugged. "Look," he said with a sigh. "It's not that bad—"

"Easy for you to say," she mumbled, interrupting him. "You're not the one who's gonna look like a silly girl falling for an egocentric idiot!"

Jack ran his hands through his hair exasperatedly. "It's only for a few weeks, Elsa. And if it makes you feel better, you can break up with me when the time comes."

That shut her up, and she closed her mouth again, the cogs on her brain were working as she considered his proposition. "... I'm listening."

Holding on to the opportunity, he continued, "I'll act heartbroken, and you can tell everyone how you dumped me and what a sobbing mess I was after."

Elsa looked away, eyes focusing on a spot on the floor. Without realizing, she started playing with the end of her braid, deeply in thought.

"Look, Hiccup and Astrid aren't the gossipy types, and they're not gonna go out telling people about… _us_." He flinched at the sound of her hissing. "So if we don't make a big fuss about it, people will leave us alone, and it'll be like nothing changed at—"

"Alright."

Jack looked at her to make sure he hadn't misheard her. "What did you say?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'll help with your cover," she said, raising her hands to his neck.

Jack froze, sucking in a breath as her fingers touched the fabric of his hoodie and traced its collar.

"In exchange," she said, neatly smoothing the wrinkles on his jacket and looking up at him, her eyes were very serious and demanding. "you will pay for my coffees until our breakup."

Jack quickly recovered from his stupor and winked at her. "Kiss to seal the deal?" he asked, placing a hand on her waist.

She laughed. "Easy, Romeo." She took a step back, letting his fingers slide off her. With her eyes half-lidded and a husky whisper, she added, "You still gotta court me first."

With a wink too much like his own, Elsa turned on her heels and waved him goodbye.

Had she stood there a little longer, she would have noticed the catatonic state she had left Jack in. His eyes were wide, and his jaw was on the floor. He was frozen in place. His brain seemed to have melted, and a clapping monkey toy went wild in the vacant space, making his ears ring. He didn't know how much time had passed, but the bell rang, the blaring sound finally snapping him back to a reality that made sense—one in which Elsa hadn't agreed to (fake) date him, much less didn't blatantly flirt with him.

A reality in which, unfortunately, he was late for class.

"Shit," he cursed, storming down the stairs two steps at a time and running for dear life. He had a feeling that if he stopped and gave his brain the tiniest opportunity to process recent events, he wouldn't be able to get out of the vegetative state for at least a week...

* * *

As it turned out, he was a better runner than he thought. He reached the classroom before his teacher and, with wobbly legs, pushed himself all the way to the back.

"Living on the edge, aren't we?" Hiccup mocked.

Jack ignored him and collapsed on his seat, resting his forehead against the cool surface of the lab desk.

"You okay?" Hiccup asked, and there was a hint of concern in his voice.

"Yeah," Jack said between heavy breaths.

"So… where were you this morning?"

Jack shrugged. His breathing was slowing down. "Slept in."

"Really?" Hiccup frowned suspiciously. "I thought I saw your car in the parking lot."

Jack cursed his friends' detective skills. He felt the back of his neck heating up but ignored it. Thinking fast, he said, "Okay, you got me. I had some... issues to take care of. In the bathroom. My digestive system didn't take last night's milkshakes that well…"

"Gross." Hiccup groaned with a scowl.

"You asked."

"I didn't expect you to tell me about your morning case of diarrhea—people like to keep those private." Hiccup sighed. "I thought you would have something juicier to share."

For a millisecond, Jack panicked. His brain was starting to drift to that weird place again. He pinched his thigh, and the pain worked as a semi-efficient anchor. "Like what?" he asked with such poker face that he felt like patting himself on the back.

A knowing smirk formed on the corner of Hiccup's lips. "Like that you were, in reality, spending some sweet time with your girl."

Jack kept pinching himself as an attempt to keep his mind unfogged. He frowned at the guy beside him. _Had Hiccup seen them together?_ No, Hiccup would have called him out on the diarrhea lie if he had. That was just Hiccup being a cheesy dork.

"It's not like that, Third."

"And yet you knew very well what, or rather who I was talking about."

Jack kicked himself for the slip-up.

Hiccup, with his amused grin still splattered across his face, said, "Come on, now that Astrid is not around, you can be real with me. I know for a fact that you used to have a crush on Elsa. So what's the deal, Frost?"

 _Pinch, pinch, pinch again._

Discreetly, Jack breathed slowly through his nose. "That was in third grade," he reminded his friend. "People move on, you know." As he remembered who he was talking to, he quickly added, "Well, not you, Mr. 'I only liked one girl my entire life', but like, normal people."

"So... you don't like her anymore?"

"I don't."

"You don't feel anything for her?" Hiccup pressed some more.

Something about Hiccup being Hiccup, a total nerd with a stuffy nose, one and a half legs, and a well of unending childlike innocence was making it easier and easier to talk about Elsa. Or rather lie about Elsa. Hiccup's easily deceivable wonder reminded him of many other dumber conversations they had at one point or another in their friendship, and the more Hiccup pressed, the more relaxed Jack felt to blurt out nonsenses with nonchalance. Which was very appreciated by his poor thigh.

The silverhead shrugged. "Not really. I mean, I'm not retarded: she's an amazing girl. Beautiful, smart, talented, funny when she's not being a stuck up bitch, pretty hot—" _Okay, maybe one more pinch._

"What was that about you not liking her again?" Hiccup asked, unsuccessfully attempting to conceal his smirk.

"She's too high maintenance for me."

"What's life without a challenge or two?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Alright, get your phony wisdom out of my face."

Hiccup raised his hands in an appeasing gesture. "I know you like to fool around and play games when you're bored, Frost. But, you know, that's not really the path you should take when you like someone."

"Even if I felt that way—and I'm not saying I do, you hear me good, Hiccup? _I don't_ —, what makes you think she would be happy about my supposed feelings?"

Hiccup shrugged. "You won't know if you keep sitting on your ass, that's for sure. And if there's anyone that can make her fall in love with them, that person is you, Casanova."

Jack laughed. "You flatter me too much, Third."

"I'm confident enough now to say that Astrid and I wouldn't be together if it weren't for your meddlesome help. And seeing you in love is, like, one of my bucket list items."

"What's this I'm hearing?" Tuffnut Thorston, sitting at the table in front of theirs turned around and leaned over their counter. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the silverhead. " _Our_ Frost is in love?"

His twin sister, Ruffnut stared at them as well, her arms crossed and a smug expression on her face. "Ooooohh…"

Jack glared at Hiccup first, then directed his glare at the twins. "I'm not."

"Who's the lucky lady?" Snotlout Jorgenson asked from a nearby desk.

"No lady," Jack grumbled, pressing a hand to his face.

"Lucky guy?" Fishlegs chimed in.

Jack gritted his teeth. "There is no one."

"Come on, J," Tuff said with a pleading moan. "Who's your S.O.?"

"I don't have an S.O."

"Hiccup?" the female Thorston called.

"Yes, Ruff?" Hiccup asked amused.

"Spill the tea."

Hiccup smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I can't say."

"So there _is_ someone," Fishlegs concluded.

"I never said that." Hiccup shook his head and with a mischievous smirk, he added, "I also never said that Jack was strolling around the line between friendship and something more with Elsa Arendelle, the president of the Drama Club."

Jack immediately kicked his friend on the sheen, on his fleshy one, making the other guy flinch in pain.

Tuff sat back down in shock. The rest of them stared at the silverhead with agape mouths.

"Wow."

"This—"

"—Changes—"

"—Everything."

Jack threw a punch at Hiccup's shoulder. With a cold glare, he hissed, "I hope you're really proud of what you did, you son of a bitch."

Hiccup shrugged, rubbing the sore spot where he had been hit. "All's fair in love and war."

* * *

She could not believe it.

 _She could not believe it._

How was it possible that he was even more incompetent than she ever considered possible? As soon as the lunch break bell rang, she collected her belongings and rushed out of the classroom without a single word to her friends. She stomped down the hallway, moving past random students, ignoring the snickering and staring, looking for that stupid mop of silver hair. Elsa spotted him laughing carefree with his group of friends, and she marched in their direction. They stared at her as she stopped in front of him, but she unceremoniously ignored them altogether.

"Hi," she said, smiling a terribly fake sweet smile at Jack. "Can I talk to you?"

She didn't even wait for him to answer and she was aleady turning on her heels and heading down the hallway, looking for somewhere more secluded they could talk. She glanced through a cracked door and gestured for them to go inside.

"What the hell, Frost?"

He flinched as he closed the door slowly. "Trust me, I'm as unhappy as you are with this development."

"You said your friends wouldn't say anything!"

Jack groaned. "Okay, it got out of control."

"Your whole life is a sequence of events getting out of control!" Elsa exploded. Her face was red, and her chest went up and down with heavy breaths.

Jack bit his lip and lowered his eyes to the floor in shame.

"It's been less than five hours, Frost, and I lost count of how many weird looks and questions I got from people wondering whether or not you and I are dating."

"I know, I know," he mumbled, running his hands through his hair. "In my defense, Hiccup really ships us together."

She glared at him, incredulity written all over her face. "How does that make anything better?"

He shrugged. "At least you won't think that all my friends are babblers who thrive amidst chaos. Hiccup was trying to have a heartfelt conversation with me, and we were overheard. Not his fault."

Elsa took a step back. She felt her anger slowly dissipating. Her hands were still shaking, and her jaw was still clenched, but she also felt a new burning sensation in her throat. A sign of guilt and regret. "I don't—I don't blame him." She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I have nothing against your friends, Jack. In fact, I know Hiccup, and if anything, it makes me wonder why he's friends with someone so… like you."

Jack snorted, throwing his head back. "Because I'm amazing, and Hiccup would be lost without me."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure he would."

"So…" Jack scratched the back of his neck. "Are we good?"

"Yes," Elsa said with a long sigh. "We're good."

He nodded. "Plan remains the same, right? We don't make a big deal out of it, and people will soon get tired and leave us alone."

It was her turn to nod. "Right."

Jack headed for the door, holding it open for her. "Great job out there, by the way," he said as they walked together to the cafeteria.

Elsa gave him a questioning look.

"Pulling me for a private conversation in front of everyone," he explained. "You keep that up, and people won't have much to question about our relationship in no time."

She scoffed. " _There is no relationship_."

"Watch it, Queenie," he whispered with a smirk on his lips. "People will hear you."

Elsa rolled her eyes, shoving him by the shoulder with just enough strength to make a point.

Jack laughed, jogging in front of her. "See you around, beautiful."

"Don't call me that," she hissed.

His only reply was a wink thrown at her from over his shoulder. And then she lost him in the sea of students ahead.

* * *

"And he thought Tuff was the girl sibling and started flirting with him," Hiccup said, waving his arms eagerly.

Jack laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. "I bet Ruff wasn't very happy with that."

"Not in the beginning," Hiccup agreed. "But then she just accepted that he was more connected to his feminine side than her and just rolled with it."

"Man, I can't believe I missed that," Jack said as they entered the changing rooms for basketball practice.

And as soon as they entered, the conversation in the room ceased, the rest of the team staring at the duo.

"Hello, gentlemen," Jack said, looking back at Hiccup with confusion. Did he have something on his face again? "What are we looking at?"

"You!"

"What?" Jack stumbled back as a bunch of limbs went flying in his direction, and he felt arms wrapping around his shoulders and hands messing his hair.

"You dog!" Guy yelled in his ear.

"You hooking up with fucking Elsa Arendelle?" Shrek, nearly strangling the silverhead with the tight lock around his neck, demanded to know.

"When did that happen?" someone else asked.

 _"How did that happen?"_

"I thought she didn't do jocks..."

"Weren't you with Tooth?"

"No, idiot. She's with Bunny now..."

The cacophony of voices jumbled up together, making it hard for him to understand everything that was being said, or which one of his friends was asking which questions.

"Well, you know…" Jack said casually, and the rest of the team stopped to listen as if their lives depended on it. "Summer lovin'... happened so fast…"

There was a moment of quietude in which the guys only started at the silverhead, making sense of his last sentence. Some of them even mouthed the words silently as if the action would help assimilate their meaning.

Shrek loosened the grip he had around Jack's neck and stared at the silverhead like he was an alien. "... What?"

From the corner of his eye, Jack could see Hiccup facepalming. "I cannot believe you're quoting Grease," the auburn-haired guy mumbled.

Jack winked at him with amusement. "Oh, Third. I knew we were soulmates."

"Grease? Who's Grease? And what's he got to do with anything, you nerd?" Shrek huffed impatiently.

At once, the commotion restarted, and the mess of several voices speaking together flooded the room.

"What the hell is a summer loving anyways?"

"Yeah, who says that?"

"Is it like a summer fling?"

"Does mean you two hooked up during the break?"

"And you kept your trap shut until now?!"

Hiccup clapped, catching everyone's attention. "Come on, guys," he said with a tired sigh. "Coach gonna make us run laps until sunset if we're late."

As the bunch of bumbling jocks cleared out the changing room, Jack and Hiccup walked to their lockers.

"Thanks for the rescue," Jack said in a low voice.

"I may still feel a little bad about what happened this morning."

Jack glared at him. "As you should, you asshole."

Hiccup chuckled, patting the silverhead's back comfortingly. "I'll treat you to some food, how about that?"

"You know, I'll take you up on that offer. And I have the perfect location in mind. Think you can clear your schedule for the afternoon?"

"For you my dear, anything."

"Careful, Hics," Jack said with a laugh. "Or I'll end up falling for you instead."

* * *

They had just wrapped up rehearsals for the day. Elsa was collecting her belongings when her cousin poked her in the shoulder.

"Look who's getting acquainted with the Drama Club members," Rapunzel said.

Elsa looked in the stage's direction to find her little sister struggling with her arms filled with rolled-up papers and cans of paint. Now, what really surprised her—and she figured what had made Rapunzel call her in the first place, was the guy carrying a similar assortment of art supplies alongside Anna. The girls couldn't hear what the other two were talking about, but they were both smiling and seemed to be having a pleasant conversation. The duo disappeared through the side curtains, and Elsa took that moment to give her cousin a curious look.

"What's that about?" she asked, throwing her bag over her shoulder.

Rapunzel shrugged nonchalantly. "They were kinda getting along during rehearsal."

Elsa's eyebrows shot upwards. "Is that so? Anna didn't tell me a thing."

"She didn't tell me anything either," Rapunzel replied, and the two girls headed to the auditorium doors together.

"And here I thought they were working on the garden standees…"

Rapunzel snorted. She opened the door and held it for Elsa as she said, "Isn't it good though? Weren't you worried 'cause he was still strung up on the punishment thing?" She glanced back at the stage one last time. "He should be a little less sulky if helping us means hanging out with the girl he has a crush on…"

"A crush, you say?"

Rapunzel gave her a knowing smirk. "On someone that maybe reciprocates said feelings, I dare add."

Elsa's eyes narrowed as the sight of her sister smiling at the boy came back to her mind. She pressed two fingers to her temple, breathing slowly. "Remind me why I haven't seen this so obvious development until now?"

"I guess sitting on the director's chair means you miss the backstage action—not that there's been any backstage action, not like that anyway… The thing is, you're so busy making sure that the play goes well that your brain is ignoring the less important things."

"Anna is my sister, my brain should find anything related to her important enough."

"Yeah, but as far as we know, they're just talking. surprisingly amicably out of a sudden, sure, but still just talking."

Elsa hummed in agreement.

"What about you? What's this rumor I heard about you and that Jack Frost guy?"

"You know about that, huh?" Elsa mumbled, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, pretty sure the whole school knows." Rapunzel looked at her expectantly, the attention making Elsa want to hide.

"We ran into each other a couple of times and got to talk a little." Elsa shrugged nonchalantly. "It's not a big deal."

"Are you two going out?"

"Not really."

It was Rapunzel's turn to hum at that statement. "Are you planning to?"

Elsa repeated the same reply as she checked her watch. Not interested in giving continuity to that conversation, she groaned, glaring at the auditorium's entrance. "What's taking her so long?"

As if on cue, the double doors opened, and out came Anna, laughing at something the guy accompanying her said. If they were surprised to see Elsa and Rapunzel there, the couple didn't show—which was something, when taking Anna's lack of subtlety into consideration.

"Nice timing," Rapunzel mocked, pushing herself off the wall.

Cordially, Kristoff bid them farewell, and Elsa and Rapunzel had to watch themselves not let any incriminating comment slip.

"Ready to go?" Elsa asked her sister after Kristoff left.

"Yeah." Anna awkwardly adjusted the strap of her backpack as they headed to the parking lot. "Can we stop for something to drink on the way home?"

"I thought you had an unending pile of homework to do…" Elsa reminded her.

"It will be quick, I promise."

Elsa sighed. "That okay with you, Punz?"

"Sure," Rapunzel said with a shrug.

As they got to the car, Elsa's phone vibrated, signaling a new message, and she checked it before plugging the key into the ignition. She frowned at the sender of the video she had just received. She hit play, and the first three seconds were enough to make her hiss.

"Anna, the place you want to stop by wouldn't be this place, by any chance, would it?" Elsa asked, showing the other girls her phone.

The video was an amateur film shot from a cellphone that started with Flo's cafe sign and moved to a window to show inside the establishment. The image trembled in the rhythm of muffled giggling, but despite the shakiness, it was easy to identify the explosion of teenagers inside the coffee shop. The mass of people was so dense that once inside, they were trapped unable to move.

Anna watched for a moment, her eyes widening and mouth opening, then composed herself at the last minute and replied nonchalantly, "As a matter of fact, it would."

"That's insane!" Rapunzel exclaimed when Elsa showed her the video. "How did you get that?"

"A very vocal supporter of Babydoll is there right now," Elsa explained, turning the car on. "The video is probably circling around."

"So all those people read today's post on The Underground, huh?" Rapunzel mused.

"Think she's there too?" Anna asked with excitement.

Elsa took a deep, exhausted breath. Her day was just getting better and better. "Being as keen on drama as she seems to be, I'd be more surprised if she wasn't…"

* * *

If it were any other day, he would have long given up and fled the place. Hell, any other day, he wouldn't even step inside the shop. But there was something very appealing about the situation. The notion that he had the power to influence such a crowd was mind-blowing. And a little flattering. Some people would say that he didn't need the ego boost, but he still liked to feel important.

And it was with great pleasure that he sent a video of the scene to his lady partner in crime. What he didn't expect was that, during a pause on the game of 'who do you think Babydoll is' he was playing with Hiccup, the recipient of his video would walk inside the coffee shop accompanied by her sister and her cousin.

After assessing the situation, the three girls went to wait in line. Luckily, the sea of people had already purchased their beverages, and the line was fairly small. He had a good view of her and vice versa, but he guessed he was well-camouflaged in the corner with Hiccup, because she hadn't given any sign of seeing him. With a grin, he started typing a new message.

 _Came to watch the show?_ he sent her.

He watched as she pulled out her phone, read his text, rolled her eyes, and put her phone back inside her back pocket.

He sent her another message, but she completely ignored him this time. Accepting the challenge, he sent another message and waited. Then, he sent another one. And another one, and another one.

The gap between one text and the other became shorter. At first, he wrote her name, or sent messages like 'don't ignore me', 'pick up your phone', and 'I know you're curious', but as she continued to ignore him, he started typing randomly and hitting send without even looking at the screen. It was during that part of the battle that he spotted a very familiar face between the customers. Sure, there were plenty of people from school that would fit in that category, but what raised a flag in his brain was that that person felt out of place in the middle of all the anxious energy. He was giving off some very different vibes.

He immediately snapped a picture of the unsub and sent it to Elsa. Again, she ignored it.

He groaned with annoyance, and the sound caught Hiccup's attention. His friend arched an eyebrow at him, and Jack waved the silent question off casually.

He stared at his phone and the flood of messages he had sent in the past ten minutes. It reminde him of that story about the boy that cried wolf and ended up swallowed whole in the end. Well, he would keep crying wolf until she gave him an ounce of her attention, because that was important. He sent text after text until the buzzing became a continuous vibration. It probably pissed her off, but worked, as soon enough, Elsa was throwing glares around her, probably in search of him. As their eyes met, Jack copied her annoyed expression and pointed at his phone.

Elsa rolled her eyes before reaching for it.

He watched as she scrolled down all the messages, and a triumphant smirk rose to his lips as her face changed from 'I will murder you, you annoying prick' to 'what the hell is going on?'.

His phone buzzed. He had a new message.

 _What's Hiro doing here?_ she wrote.

 _Getting two for one coffee?_ he replied.

 _His aunt owns a coffee shop_

 _Maybe he's a BD fan too_

Elsa was typing again when they heard something so unexpected that they both turned in the direction of the sound, completely dumbfounded.

"Babydoll!" the barista called.

The silence that followed that single word was unnerving. Everything was so still and so quiet that he wondered if time had stopped.

When no one went to claim the drink, the barista called her again. "Hazelnut macchiato for Babydoll?"

This time, he heard a snickering sound and turned just in time to see a hooded figure leaving the shop. The sound of the doorbell seemed to put the universe back in motion. The world started rotating again, and people chatted loudly speculating with each other about Babydoll's identity.

 _Or maybe to do that_ , he sent to Elsa.

 _Stop texting me_

 _She says as she continues to text me_

He looked at her, and she had that authoritarian look on. She mouthed 'stop texting me', and he winked in response, but she had already diverted her attention back to her companions.

And that's when he noticed Hiccup watching him with a giddy grin on his face.

"What?" Jack snarled.

Hiccup shrugged innocently. "I didn't say anything."

Jack was still glaring at Hiccup as he put down his phone and chugged the rest of his coffee. He scowled at the cup in his hands.

It was cold.

* * *

Elsa was sitting on the steps to her backyard, staring at her phone, pondering whether or not she should call him. She took a moment to assess her surroundings: Anna was locked up in her room doing homework, and her parents had better things to do than eavesdrop on their teenage daughter's phone call. She was as safe as she could be. Making up her mind, she pressed the dial button and waited. It rang three times before he picked up.

 _"Who died?"_ Jack Frost asked from the other side of the line.

Although he couldn't see her, she rolled her eyes. "Don't be dramatic."

He chuckled and the scratchy sound of shuffling around reached her ears. _"This is the first time you called me. Like, ever. Something terrible must have happened for you to call me."_

"Something terrible happened alright," she stated angrily.

 _"I'm all ears."_

"Your poorly planned story for our extracurricular activities together has ruined my alibi."

A pause, then a confused, _"What?"_

Elsa huffed before explaining, "That stupid rumor about us reached my sister, and she put together that I wasn't being one hundred percent honest about my weekly study group meetings."

 _"... I'm sorry?"_ His apology ended with a questioning tone.

She wrinkled her nose. "You could at least try to sound apologetic."

 _"I'm sorry,"_ he said again, and though he had dropped the doubt, she could hear the smirk in his voice, and she couldn't figure out which of the two options were worse. _"I just don't really know what I can do to help."_

She let out a contemptuous snort. "Oh, I don't expect your help, Frost. I'm just venting out my frustrations at you."

Jack hummed. _"Is that making you feel better?"_

"Yes." It surprised her that she really felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

 _"Glad to know,"_ he said with a chuckle.

A moment of silence followed, with her not knowing what else to say to keep the conversation going. Before she could end the call, though, she heard him asking, _"So, does this mean we can add phone calls to the limited_ _list of means of communication between the two of us now?"_

"Only in the face of relevant matters," she said.

 _"Talking about the weather becomes relevant when it's with you, beautiful."_

She bit her lower lip to hold her laugh. "Don't call me that," she chastised.

The back door suddenly opened, and Elsa lowered the phone from her ear.

"Dinner's ready," her mom said with an unnerving knowing smile.

"Okay, I'll be there in a second," Elsa said calmly and watched as her mother retreated and closed the door. "I gotta go," she said on the phone.

 _"Don't let me hold you from your family, Queenie."_

She scoffed.

 _"If you miss me, I'll be just one phone call away."_

"Goodnight, Frost," she said unimpressed.

 _"Sweet dreams, Elsa."_

For some reason, it took her a moment to hang up. She figured it was part of the freshness of a phone call between them. As Jack had said, it was the first time they had spoken on the phone, and now that she thought about it, the first time she had spoken to someone outside family on the phone in… who knew how long? Shaking off the odd assortment of feelings making her heart beat faster, she got on her feet to head back inside. And, hard to admit, but it was with some effort that she erased the smile she had on her face...


	3. Chapter 3

_After an awkward session of introductions, they had decided to meet at Aunt Cass' café to work together for the very first time. Standing on the sideline, Tadashi watched his two new protégés with a mixture of pride and bittersweetness._

 _"For Heaven's sake," Elsa groaned as she leaned over Jack's chair to look at his work. "You spelled 'embarrassment' wrong."_

 _Jack rolled his eyes, unfazed by his mistake. "That's what autocorrect is for."_

 _She crossed her arms with annoyance. "You have the vocabulary of a twelve-year-old."_

 _"You think you're so smart, Arendelle." He turned to glare at her. "What kind of person uses the word 'quintessential' anyway?"_

 _Before she could reply, the sound of the door opening caught their attention. The café's doorbell rang, and Tadashi's little brother came in._

 _"Hey, perfect timing, Hiro." Jack beckoned the younger boy with a wide arm movement. "Do you know what 'quintessential' means?"_

 _Hiro shrugged nonchalantly as he approached the pair. "Yeah, it's like something that's beyond perfect."_

 _Elsa laughed, rolling her shoulders back and smirked at the silverhead. "Correction: your vocabulary is worse than a twelve-year-old's."_

 _"That proves nothing, Queenie," Jack grumbled, his eyes returning to the laptop screen he had been using to work._

 _"What did you call me?"_

 _Jack shrugged but didn't bother looking at her. "You know, as in drama queen?" Her stares continued to dig holes into the back of his head, so he added, "Because you're in the Drama Club?"_

 _"I get it," she informed him shortly. "But if there's a drama queen between you and me, that is most definitely you, Frost."_

 _Jack snorted. "As if. I am so not a drama queen."_

 _"You spelled 'appearance' wrong."_

 _Losing his patience, Jack threw his arms in the air. 'Why don't you go get yourself another cup of coffee? This whole breathing down my neck is breaking my goddamn concentration, Queenie."_

 _Elsa begrudgingly stood up. "I am not okay with that stupid nickname."  
_

 _He waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, I'll try to come up with something better."_

 _The Hamada brothers watched the exchange between the suddenly-turned-into partners with opposite feelings.  
_

 _"You sure you want to leave The Underground to those two?" Hiro asked, gesturing with his head at the blonde leaning over the counter and glaring daggers at the silver-haired guy. "There's still time to reconsider."_

 _Elsa walked past them grumbling to herself, "Stupid Jack Frost being an egocentric moron again. Can't even spell his own name right… Complete idiot..."_

 _Tadashi shook his head, folding his hands behind his neck and leaning back leisurely._

 _"Nah. I think they're a perfect match."_

* * *

 **The Underground**

 _Where Hawthorne High's student body can let their words fly high and free in the comfort of anonymity._

Inbox is open for submissions. Keep in mind that identities will be kept secret and Babydoll does not tolerate hatred, cursing or any sort of disrespect.

You know those nights when you lie in bed at night, but you can't shut your brain off, and you end up on the internet looking for answers to your deepest existential questions at three in the damn morning? God bless human physiology and the amazing evolutionary advance of the homo sapien brain. But not really. Well, one of those beautiful nights, when sleep eluded me, I started wondering about why children seemed to enjoy candy more than boring adults.

Turns out that a baby has the same amount of taste buds on their tongue as a grown adult, but they are concentrated in a smaller surface area. Which means that we can taste flavors more intensely at a younger age. Sugar is also the energy our brain cells use for synaptic transmissions—you know, that thing our neurons do to communicate with each other. And, well, our body is a pretty straight-forward machine: We need access to glucose, or else, things can't function properly.

But Babydoll, what does that even mean? Are you telling your Undergrounders that they now have a reasonable excuse to go for the last cookie in the jar without restraints? Not entirely. You see, sugar also holds addicting properties. Who hasn't ever felt a sugar craving, or the symptoms of withdrawal after long periods at the absence of sweet delicacies? The more you eat it, the more you need to satisfy your sweet tooth.

To sum it up, sugar is awesome, it'll boost those serotonin levels without a doubt. But it's also a drug that can mess you up, so tread with caution. Babydoll is a busy gal and she has better things to do with her time than being sued for some askew advice she may have tangentially shared with her beloved audience.

Well. What now?

The whole sugar anecdote was a roundabout way of saying that if you no longer feel the joy of biting into a piece of chocolate, well, my darling, congratulations, you've reached adulthood. Welcome to a draining routine of hard work and deadlines. A dull life of responsibilities and of restraints. If you're not quite there yet, though, I advise you to enjoy the remnants of your pre-adult phase the best you can. You dash out there and you scream and laugh from the bottom of your lungs, you run around with snot running down your nose and wind tousling your mess of a hair, and you treat yourself to as many delicious unhealthy goods as you can before your taste buds go numb and your life becomes tasteless.

Speaking of delicious and unhealthy foods, a friendly reminder that our esteemed school is holding a baking sale today. You'll have access to a wide menu of baked items to choose from, and all funds raised will be donated to the Sixth Street Orphanage. That's what I call killing two birds with one stone! So here comes a humble request from yours truly: Show Babydoll your big hearts and purchase something to help the cause, dear Undergrounders. That would make Babydoll happy beyond words.

Now, I won't lie, all this food talk is making me salivate. Oh, I close my eyes, and I can taste the crispiness of buttery pie crust and the richness of semi-sweet Belgian chocolate... Before my stomach starts growling, let's hit today's mail.

 **B.:** Dear babydoll, what's your favorite holiday?

 **Babydoll:** Any holiday I can use as an excuse to dress up. You know Babydoll will be the first one pulling out the Santa hat when December comes around and don't even get me started on Halloween. Halloween is the one day a year when a girl can dress up like a total slut and no other girls can say anything else about it.

 **DoctorOwl:** Dear Babydoll, who are you?

 **Babydoll:** You see me as you want to see me—in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what I found out is that I am a brain, but also and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. Does that answer your question?

 **Sick_of_lies:** Why boys suck?

 **Babydoll:** People suck in general. No gender specification required.

 **TheWebPsychologyst:** Did you know that illeism (the act of referring to oneself in the third person) can be a sign of personality disorder?

 **Babydoll:** It all makes sense now. Babydoll wouldn't be surprised if personality disorder was a guest in her hyperactive mind. Isn't it exciting? Let's go down the rabbit hole to psychoanalyze the maze or Babydoll's subconscious together.

 **Pinky:** I think my best friend and I are crushing on the same person. What do I do?

 **Babydoll:** Oh, the troubles of young love. Open up to your friend, and if it comes to it, challenge them fair and square. Although I must say that Babydoll is a fair believer in that saying: Bros before hoes, and sisters before misters.

* * *

Babydoll's advertising had been a good reminder for students to show up, and it probably had great importance in the bake sale's success. The atmosphere was pleasant, laughter echoed through the school's walls, and more importantly, people were making purchases.

The drama club's stall was being fairly visited as well. Members had been instructed by Elsa to behave cordially and be welcoming to everyone who passed by them. It also helped that Rapunzel was gifted with magical hands for baking, and everything smelled like sugar, and cinnamon, and vanilla. Her cinnamon rolls, in special, were so delicious that they had to organize a secret watch to stop Anna from eating all the rolls.

Elsa's shift had just ended, but she remained at the counter, methodically restocking trays and displays of desserts and laughing at the antics of her fellow club mates.

"Hey, Queenie." His voice pulled her attention from the brownies tray she had in her hands.

Jack Frost stood in front of her with his hands in his pockets and an easy smile on his lips, and she mentally kicked herself for forgetting that they were supposed to work on their alibi that day.

"Ready to go?" he asked with an eyebrow arched in amusement, as if he could read her thoughts.

She could sense the squirming fangirls behind her. Putting her game face on, she smiled back at him. "Yeah," Elsa said as she made her way around the counter. Looking at the rest of the drama club, she added, "I'll be back in half an hour."

"Take your time, Elsa," Rapunzel said as she tugged on Anna's shoulder with excitement. "We got this."

Anna's eyes sparkled, and she grinned. "Yeah, you give yourself a break and go have fun."

With a final look around to make sure that nothing was out of place, Elsa walked towards the boy waiting for her. He offered her his arm, but she shoved him off. She could tell he was having fun just by the smug way he walked beside her, and it made her huff in annoyance.

"You say anything, and I will hurt you," she mumbled through clenched teeth.

He chuckled, raising his hands in an appeasing gesture. "So, how are things on your end?" He moved closer until his arm brushed against hers.

Elsa glared at him, and he gave her an 'it's part of the plan, remember, dummy?' look of defiance in return. She let out a heavy sigh and closed her eyes for a second. In her mind, she revised the part she was supposed to play. She tried to tune out the people around her, just like they were taught to do in the Drama Club. She hadn't been on stage in a while, and she was a bit rusty, but that would have to do somehow. People expected to see a happy, cheerful girl enamored by her stage partner, and that's what she would give them. She was an actress, and could not afford to break character in front of an audience.

She looked at him and smiled. "Nothing unexpected. We're making some sales. You?"

He put a hand on his forehead to check his temperature. "I think I'm having a sugar overdose."

She laughed mockingly. "You did research the effects of sugar in the human body, didn't you?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. "But everything looked so good that I couldn't say no. Besides, I'm contributing to the cause." He stuck his tongue out. " As if my weekly advisory efforts weren't enough."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "You are an idiot."

"Oh, what I wouldn't give for a carrot right now," Jack continued with a dramatic sigh. Then, he suddenly looked up, eyes alert as he searched for something. "Speaking of carrots, I've been told that there is a carrot cake somewhere that is… uh... help me out with a cool expression, Queenie."

"To die for?" she suggested.

He scoffed. "There are better things in the world I would rather give my life up for..." He looked at her with an arched eyebrow. "Or better yet, people I would rather die for."

She rolled her eyes. "So romantic, Frost."

"You know it." Jack winked, then grabbed her hand and lead her through the lined-up stalls. "Come on, even if the metaphor falls flat, we still have a cake to find."

At first, the contact confused her. It wasn't really romantic or anything like that, Elsa felt more like a guardian dragged by an overexcited kid to his favorite attraction in an amusement park. But it was still an unusual interaction between the two of them… She was just glad that her feet still worked of their own accord. _All part of the plan_ , she had to remind herself as she let him pull her from one dessert counter to the other. She was so focused on not letting her self-consciousness surface that she didn't realize he was talking to her, not until she felt him squeezing her hand. Startled, she looked up at him.

"Kind of zoned out there, Arendelle," he said with a gentle smile.

She shook her head. "Did you say anything?"

"I asked if there was anything you wanted to try."

She straightened up. " I'm good." She tightened the grip on his hand, and it was her turn to led him. "Let's just find your carrot cake and get this over with."

She heard him sighing with his usual dramatic flair.

"Whatever you say, Queenie."

With no other words shared, they continued on their quest, moving from stall to stall with mechanical precision. For their own personal reasons, both of them found their walking arrangement a blessing. Jack couldn't see Elsa biting on her lower lip, nor she could see his sheepish look as he rubbed the back of his neck. What any bystander could see, though, was an odd couple rushing through food stalls with pink cheeks, shallow breaths and avoiding eye contact at all costs...

* * *

Anna was bored. The flow of people had slowed down significantly, and she found herself with nothing else to do besides stare at a dirty spot on the floor. Supporting her head with a hand, she sat in front of the cash box, smacking a piece of gum between her lips. She had just popped a bubble when she heard a grunt coming from beside her.

"Would you stop that?" Hans asked with annoyance.

Not even bothering to grace him with a glance, she popped another bubble with gusto.

He crossed his arms. "That is a disgusting habit, Anna."

Anna rolled her eyes before glaring at him. "Well, you have a disgusting personality. Should make us even."

"Of all the people I could be stuck with in this ridiculous stall…"

She let out a snort. "Being stuck with you ain't no bed of roses either, pal."

"Let's just try to maintain some decorum until we are relieved from duty, okay? And would you mind getting rid of that gross piece of rubber in your mouth?"

Anna hummed in response, returning to staring at the floor and quickly tuning out the idiot sitting next to her.

The silence that followed wasn't a comfortable one, but it at least beat the alternative of spitting poisonous words at each other, and someone ending up with a broken nose. Anna had no objections to throwing a well-deserved punch at that smug face of his, but she figured her sister would still admonish her for acting so immaturely, so she had to satisfy herself with quiet scrutiny. She had barely accepted that decision when someone else called her, interrupting her daydreaming once more.

"Hey, Kristoff!" she said with excess cheerfulness. "What's up?"

"I figured you'd be too busy, so I got you something." He offered her a chocolate cupcake decorated with red and pink heart-shaped sprinkles.

"Aww." Anna grinned. "Thanks, Kristoff. You're the best!"

Hans let out a gagging noise, and she was graciously reminded of his presence in the stall.

"That's a disgusting habit," she said with an arched eyebrow. "And probably not good for your vocal cords."

"Thak you for your concern." Hans rolled his eyes. "I wonder what happened… Suddenly, I felt very nauseated."

"You should go to the nurse's office," Kristoff suggested.

Anna laughed with contempt. "Yeah, you should make sure that whatever you've got is not contagious."

"Perhaps you're right," Hans said dryly. He stood up so his eyes were leveled with Kristoff's and patted him on the shoulder amicably. "She's all yours, big guy. A word of advice, though: don't bother. It's not worth the pain."

Anna groaned. "You know, why don't you go check with the nurse if she can prescribe something for your head, you sociopath?"

Chuckling, Hans left the stall, waving with his back to the other two. Before putting too much of a distance between them, he stopped on his track and winked at Anna from over his shoulder. She glared at him, but he just laughed louder. And even after he disappeared around a corner and was out of sight, that maniacal laugh kept ringing in her ears, and the smug expression on his face kept haunting her mind's eyes.

Like the damn ghost from her past that he was.

* * *

They visited pretty much all the stalls, and after no little effort, they finally found the carrot cake. Jack waited in line to buy him and his esteemed girlfriend a piece each, claiming that he would not share his with her, and she would regret not eating it when she had the chance. In the meantime, said girlfriend saved their seats at a table nearby.

It amused him how natural it was to hang with her. Blame it on their crime partnership, or simply on them getting to know each other over the course of the last months. The amount of time they spent bantering back at the cafe meant that they didn't need to walk on eggshells around each other: he teased her and acted as his dumbest self, and she flat out dismissed him, always finding new and elegant ways of telling him to fuck off.

He stole a glimpse of her at some point, and the sight of the girl sitting stiffly with her hands folded on the table, eyes glued to her thumbs, eyebrows creased in a hard frown, and mind probably miles away from there made him chuckle. She was tuning the rest of the world out again.

He noticed that she did that quite frequently, but couldn't really blame her for it. Elsa had a billion thoughts running at the speed of light in her head constantly, and it impressed him that the constant brain activity didn't make her go insane. He had no doubt that he would have lost it if he was on her shoes. Thank God he was an idiot.

Taking hold of the food, he went straight to their table.

"Here you go," Jack said as he placed the desserts on the table.

Her attention returned to reality, and she smiled at him. "Thank you."

He sat opposite to her and rubbed his hands with eagerness. "Come to daddy, you delicious piece of heaven," he whispered before taking a huge bite of cake.

She rolled her eyes. "Please, stop being weird."

He didn't hear her, though, because he was too busy immersing himself in a gastronomic experience... A bit of a disappointing one, if he dared to say. It wasn't like the cake was entirely bad. Surely, it was a bit on the drier side, but it still tasted delicious. The sweetness was on point, and the subtle carroty flavor was very nice. If he had to point its faults, he'd say that the cake was too… ordinary. For a carrot cake, it was good. For the best carrot cake in the world… it lacked personality.

He heard Elsa humming, and when he looked at her, he found her munching slowly as if trying to postpone swallowing what she had in her mouth for as long as she could. From her reaction, she appeared to be experiencing a similar disappointment to his.

Elsa finally swallowed. "It's a good cake," she said, meeting his eyes.

A scowl formed on his face as he understood the unsaid words between them. "But not as good as the cakes Cass bakes."

Elsa chuckled, tapping her mouth with a napkin. "Our palates have been spoilt by her higher-quality baked treats."

Jack sighed, leaning back on his chair. "That was disappointing."

"That was a lesson on expectation versus reality."

He groaned, throwing his head back. "You sound too much like Babydoll."

She shrugged before taking another bite of her cake.

As they ate the rest of their desserts, a commotion started somewhere, and multiple screams reached their ears.

"What's going on there?" Elsa wondered, looking in the direction the noise was coming from.

"I'm gonna go check it out," he said, standing up. "You wait here."

"As if." Elsa got on her feet as well. "I'm coming too."

He rolled his eyes. "Suit yourself."

Following the loud voices, they found the source of the ruckus with ease. Someone had started a food war, and things seemed to be getting out of control—and escalating quickly. A girl, probably from the organization committee begged on a megaphone for them to stop, but her voice just ended up mixed up in the mess without accomplishing much.

Gritting his teeth, Jack strode towards the girl and took the megaphone from her hands. Taking a deep breath, he shouted on the device, _"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU IDIOTS DOING?"_

Holding it high up over his head, he pressed a button and the device roared, immediately making the fighting kids stop to cover their ears.

His roar immediately stopped the battling kids, and when he was sure he had their sole attention, he continued, " _There are people starving in the whole goddamn world, a_ _nd here you are, throwing food at each other like a bunch of underdeveloped apes!"_ The rise in his voice made the megaphone squeal. _"Great job walking over the purpose of this fundraiser, you privileged brats. You all should be very proud of yourselves."_

Jack made sure to look around the whole room, making eye contact with as many students as he could. People recoiled like frightened animals, and the uncomfortable silence that followed was only broken by another megaphone-augmented voice.

 _"That's quite the speech you've got there, Mr. Frost,"_ Principal Calhoun said from the other side of the court. _"I would like to take the reins of the situation now if you don't mind."_

 _"The word is all yours, Principal C,"_ he said with a curtsy.

 _"Shut your damn mouth, Mr. Frost."_

If they hadn't just been chewed out so humiliatingly, kids would have laughed at the pair screaming at each other on megaphones. But they had just been chewed out, so they just apprehensively switched attention from one speaker to the other.

Receiving a final nod from the woman, Jack turned on his heels, leaving the principal to take care of the rest. He returned the megaphone to its rightful owner with a hasty apology and went to where Elsa waited with crossed arms and lips tightly pressed together.

"We should get out of here," he whispered hurriedly.

She nodded, and as they walked side by side, she commented casually, "I must say I'm surprised."

He looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "About?" he asked genuinely curious.

"I figured you would be one to join the fight instead of end it."

He pouted. "Those dumbasses interrupted our date."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "This is not a date."

He tsked, making an annoyed face. "It kinda is from everyone else's perspective."

She frowned and shook her head. "Still not a date."

"Fine," he said with a tired sigh. "I need to find something to wash down the carrot cake. Would you do the honors of accompanying me on this quest, milady?"

She crossed her arms and gave him a disapproving look. "I have a feeling that you're going to put more sugar in your bloodstream."

He winked at her in return. "It's like you can read my mind, Queenie."

"Just don't have a heart attack. Playing the mourning girlfriend at your funeral is way beyond my acting skills."

He chuckled. "Aw, so you do care," Jack said, placing a hand over his heart.

"Don't you ever get tired of being such an idiot?" She snorted, shaking her head. As they continued walking, she noticed his giddiness. "What are you smiling at?"

He rolled his shoulders back and smirked at her smugly. "You just said 'girlfriend'."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Don't flatter yourself, Frost. It's all make-believe."

"Duh." He laced his fingers behind his head. "'Course I know that…"

* * *

Jack was feeling grumpy as hell. The sugar rush had long lost its effects, leaving him sick, thirsty and drained. And Hiccup calling him during his afternoon nap was not doing his migraine any favors. Apparently, Hiccup's motorcycle had to be taken to the repair shop for maintenance, and he required alternative means of transportation. So Jack, being the great friend that he was, had promptly risen to the occasion.

At first, he drove as slowly as a myopic grandpa on the road, his brain taking longer than usual to process things. The fog in his mind dissipated little by little. By the time he got to the auto shop, he was still a bit moody, sure, but his functionality had been immensely restored, at least. Spotting Hiccup standing at the front of the shop, he honked to catch his friend's attention. Hiccup waved as he made his way towards the car.

Jack rolled his window down and shouted, "Get in, loser. We're going shopping."

"Hey, thanks for the rescue," the auburn-haired guy said as he jumped inside.

"You know, there are these ride apps people are using these days," Jack commented, emphasizing his annoyance with his voice tone. "You should give it a try one of these days."

"Why would I do that when I can have you driving me places?" Hiccup asked with a chuckle. "Plus, I get to have your always-enjoyable company free of charge."

Jack rolled his eyes. "So where to, chief?"

Hiccup hummed, scratching his chin in thought. "Can we go get something to eat? My fridge is kinda empty right now."

"Alright." Jack checked his rear-view mirror quickly to make a u-turn. He didn't need to check their destination, there was only one option for quick food in either of the boys' heads. "You calling Hofferson, or is it gonna be just the two of us today?"

"Hmm... Astrid has to wake up early tomorrow to visit her grandma, and she was kinda cranky about it."

"Cranky Astrid is violent Astrid," Jack mumbled. "Got it."

"You know it," Hiccup agreed with a chuckle. "Maybe we can find someone else to join us..."

"Snotlout and the twins?" Jack suggested.

Hiccup shook his head. "Nah, they all got sugar poisoning... I was thinking about your girlfriend."

"Elsa Arendelle at The Edge?" Jack laughed. "You're delusional, Third—what the hell are you doing, douchebag?"

Hiccup had suddenly reached out for the phone on the cupholder and held it out of the silverhead's reach.

"Eyes on the road!" Hiccup shouted, making wide gestures with his free hand.

With a grunt, Jack turned his face forward as his nails dug marks on the steering wheel. "Give me my phone back."

"Yeah, yeah. In a minute." Hiccup's fingers kept swiping through the phone's screen as he looked for something. "Aha!"

Before Jack had time to question his friend, a dialing tone came to his ears. Hiccup had started a phonecall and had put it on speaker mode.

"Who the fuck are you calling, asshole?"

His question was answered by a voice coming from his phone.

 _"What do you want, Frost?"_

Jack's eyes went wild, and he had to stop himself from taking his eyes off the road and risking an accident. "Hey! Elsa!" he said with overexcitement. "You're on speaker," he said hurriedly, dreading the exposition of any private information.

There was a pause on the other side of the line, and he didn't need to see her face to know that she was biting on her lip.

"Hiccup's here," Jack notified her, and with his choice of voice tone, he hoped she could understand what he really meant: _watch your damn mouth, Queenie._

"Hiya, Elsa," Hiccup greeted her cheerfully, the asshole completely oblivious to the heaviness in the air.

 _"Hello, Hiccup,"_ she said. _"What do I owe the pleasure of this unusual conference call for?"_

Hiccup poked Jack's shoulder to get him to talk, but the silverhead was pretending to be too busy driving to comply.

"Uh…" the auburn-haired guy mumbled. "We were going to The Edge, you know, that diner at the top of the hill…"

 _"Yes, I know the place."_

"So… would you like to join us? We can pick you up."

Jack clenched his teeth as he forced himself to keep his eyes looking forward. Hiccup's pushiness was totally cornering the girl, and his anxiety was increasing by the second.

 _"Alright."_

Jack wasn't sure if her choice gave him relief, or made him even more worried. A quick glimpse of Hiccup's annoying smirk sufficed for him to choose the latter.

"Awesome." Hiccup pumped his fist in the air. "Where do you live again?"

Elsa gave him her address, as well as a few reference points, and Hiccup typed everything on his own phone.

"Alright. See you in a few." Triumphantly, Hiccup put Jack's phone back where it was before. "You are very welcome, Frost."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Third, for making things even more awkward between me and Elsa."

"Why's that?" Hiccup asked with genuine confusion. "From what I heard, things seem to be going pretty dandy between the two of you."

"You're practically forcing her to spend time with us."

Hiccup shrugged. "Malice is in the eyes of the beholder. My intentions were as innocent as intentions get."

"You know, that's one of your bad habits, Third." Jack pointed a finger at the other guy. "Stop thinking that you can be the whole world's hero. Some matters are not up to you to solve, you nosy dumbass."

Hiccup gasped, hiding his mouth behind his hands. "Oh, is that how you really feel about me, Frost?" He threw his hands in the air. "Here I am, trying to be a good samaritan just to receive a punch to the throat from my so-called best friend."

Jack snorted with contempt. "Oh, suck it up, Haddock, you and I both know that you do crap like this to make you feel better about yourself, you little piece of shit."

Their bantering continued all the way to Elsa's place, with Jack and Hiccup's voices increasing to such levels that their eloquent compliments towards each other could be heard from outside the car whenever they stopped at a red sign.

Jack parked the car in front of the Arendelle residence and texted his 'girlfriend' to come out.

"Shouldn't you go to her door?" Hiccup asked as he watched the texting conversation happen.

Jack laughed, shaking his head. "And risk meeting the parents?" He shook his head. "No, thanks."

Hiccup sighed. "You're a dream come true, Frost. A real prince charming."

"You bet I am, pretty boy," Jack said with a flirtatious wink that made Hiccup gag exaggeratedly.

Not too long after that, Elsa came out of the house and waved at them.

Pleasantries were exchanged as the girl got inside the car, and Jack turned the engine back on. He could sense Hiccup fidgeting on his seat, and he could only imagine what kind of dumb, cheesy questions he had for Elsa about him, and about her, and about them… together... as a couple. So he put on the radio and turned up the volume high enough to stop any conversation the group could have indulged in on their way to the diner. And his plan worked. The other two were submitted to the forced silence with no complaints, and the rest of their drive was filled with furtive glances and humming along with pop songs but no talking whatsoever.

As the three teens got out of the car, though, it finally became noticeable how out-of-place Elsa was, standing in front of the vintage, neon-lighted, greasy, old diner. She was too elegant, too classy, too… nice to be in a place so decadent and humble as The Edge. She was nothing like the carefree lots that usually loitered around the restaurant. And her nervousness showed.

Being the thoughtful gentleman that he was, Jack stepped forth. "I'll go get our orders, you guys can wait here," he said, gesturing to the outdoor tables. Like hell he would submit the poor girl to the stuffy diner's inside. The stench of stale grease still made his stomach churn, and he had had years of numbing his senses under his belt.

"I'll have a burger and a side of onion rings. And a vanilla milkshake please, Dad," Hiccup said.

Jack nodded. "What about you, Queenie?"

"I'm not familiar with the menu…"

"Get her a grilled cheese," Hiccup suggested. "It's the least greasy item on the menu."

Elsa looked at him with narrowed eyes in disbelief. "The white bread sandwich with cheese and butter?"

Hiccup shrugged. "You would be surprised."

Jack chuckled in agreement. "Anything to drink? Iced tea, or something?"

The girl nodded. "That will do."

"Alright." Jack double-checked the orders before making his way inside the diner.

As always, the heavy smell of spices and oil coming from the kitchen nauseated him, and he tried to get out of there as soon as his order was ready. By the time he went back outside with his arms loaded with paper bags and disposable cups, Hiccup and Elsa were laughing together, sitting one across from the other on one of the picnic tables as if they had been friends for ages. Oddly, they were the only ones outside, and the silverhead was reminded of Hiccup's previous words about the gang. From what he could guess, the sweet poisoning spread wider than just Snotlout and the twins. The lack of crazy teenagers running around and eating with their mouths open made him assume that others too had decided to call it an early night.

"You two seem to be getting along well," Jack commented as he spread their dinner over the table.

"You don't need to be jealous now, Jack," Hiccup chastised patronizingly.

The silverhead rolled his eyes, taking a seat beside his chuckling girlfriend.

"I was just sharing some of your childhood anecdotes with Elsa," Hiccup informed as he scavenged through the paper bags for his share.

"Hiccup is a very talented storyteller," Elsa said.

"It helps when the stories are already great to begin with."

She rolled her eyes. "Can't you turn your ego off just for a second?"

"I wouldn't be me if I did."

"That's exactly my point."

Shrugging, Jack leaned over the table for his beverage, invading her personal space in the process. He slurped on the straw loudly, and, for a moment, she just stared at him dumbfounded.

"What?" he asked.

"Didn't you say you had a sugar overload today?" she hissed, reprimanding.

"Took a nap." He shrugged. "I am one hundred percent restored and ready for round two... or twenty-eight."

She groaned before taking a tiny bite of her sandwich. "Idiot."

He winked at her with a smirk on his lips. "You're cute when you worry, beautiful."

"Don't call me that."

Jack laughed, shaking his head. Then, he heard the noise of crunching coming from the other side of the table, and he was reminded of the third party in their arrangement. His eyes met his friend's, and he did not like what he saw: Hiccup's big eyes of amusement shone like a kid's on Christmas morning.

"Oh, don't mind the bystander and carry on!" Hiccup said, making circular gestures with his hands.

"Stop that, you creep," Jack hissed, flicking his hair off his eyes to conceal his rising embarrassment.

"I can't help it," Hiccup said, propping his chin on a hand. "All this bantering you've got going on there is bringing out the squealing fangirl in me."

"Shut the fuck up before I make you, Hiccup," Jack grumbled as he shoved a handful of fries in his mouth. He didn't dare look at the awfully silent girl beside him.

Hiccup wiped a heartfelt tear off his eye. "Oh, man, I feel like I've got the best seat to a rom-com."

Hiccup 's thunderous laugh only helped to heighten the blush on the couple's faces.

"Best fucking day ever!"

* * *

After another round of 'embarrassing Frost', Hiccup had excused himself to order another milkshake. The strange part was that he wasn't coming back. Half an hour had probably gone by, and no signs of Hiccup yet. Jack had his money on the guy hiding inside the diner, watching them with that triumphant smirk on his dumb face. He glared at the windows as he chewed on his straw.

Beside him, Elsa rubbed her arms, and he glanced at her.

"You cold?" he asked, noticing the thin cardigan she wore. Perhaps too thin of a layer for The Edge's occasional breezes.

She shrugged, folding her hands on her lap.

Jack sighed at her stubbornly proud expression and took his jacket off, throwing it over the blonde's tiny frame. Elsa was about to protest, but he squeezed her shoulder to make her stop. "Hiccup is still watching us," he said, leaning closer to her.

Elsa looked down at her half-eaten sandwich and mumbled, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," he mumbled, returning to his ritual of staring at the diner's windows.

Not long after he stripped off his hoodie, though, the cliff's air started to chill his bones. He arched over slightly, and it caught Elsa's attention.

"For Heaven's sake, Frost," Elsa grumbled, wiggling his clothing item off her shoulders. "Take your damn jacket back, you idiot."

"Nuh-uh." Jack immediately threw his arms around her, successfully stopping the girl from moving. He rested his chin on her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I left you at the mercy of inclement weather like this?"

She straightened up to glare at him, fists frozen in midair as if it would make her look more intimidating. "Chivalry be damned."

He chuckled and tightened his hold on her. "Come on, this will totally make Hiccup have a syncope in there, and we both get to make use of each other's body heat. Win-win situation, no matter how you look at it."

Her expression changed from utter annoyance to acceptance, and Elsa sighed, lowering her hands to her lap. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Of course I am." He nuzzled his cold nose against her neck, making her flinch, if either from the temperature discomfort or just the proximity discomfort, he couldn't tell. "Had a bunch of sugar, ate a delicious meal, and now I have a beautiful girl keeping me warm. What else could I ask for?"

"A bit of common sense wouldn't hurt," she mumbled.

Jack snorted, shifting closer to the girl and pulling her to his chest. "Common sense is overrated."

"Your lack thereof makes you say that."

"And your lack of fun makes you an unimpressive person, Queenie."

She laughed and shook her head. "Look at you, using big words."

"Ugh," he groaned dramatically. "Your nerdiness is contagious."

He could feel her leaning against him, and he was pretty sure it wasn't just his sugar-high imagination pulling pranks on him.

"My, you should be quarantined," she said mockingly. "Avoid further proximity for the undetermined future."

Jack pouted. "You say that, but you totally would miss me."

"My life would be so, so much easier," Elsa said with an exaggerated sigh. "No fake relationship for starters."

"Now that, Queenie, is a totally overrated concept."

"Fake relationships?" She giggled. "Couldn't agree more."

"You're doing that on purpose," Jack grumbled. "What I meant is that life isn't supposed to be easy, silly."

Elsa arched an eyebrow at him. "Who's sounding like Babydoll now?"

Their eyes met, and their proximity caught him off-guard. With her back turned to him, and only able to see her profile from the corner of his eyes, he hadn't realized how close their faces actually were. From where he was, he could see the light reflected on her eyes, feel her breathing against his skin, the adorable dimples on her cheeks. He could feel that same mesmerizing magic that pulled him in ages ago. They were so, so close that all he had to do was lean in.

But instead, he let go.

He broke their eye contact and let his arms fall from around her.

"It's getting late, we should get you home soon," Jack said, standing up.

Elsa tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Oh, but I was having so much fun making you flustered."

"Ha, ha." He made an effort to glare at her with annoyance. "I'm gonna go check on Hiccup." He turned on his heels, stopping whatever teasing remark she had for him.

As he made his way to the restaurant's door for the second time that night, a chilly breeze blew through him.

But all he could feel was heat on his face.

* * *

Jack dropped Hiccup off first because, well, it was the logical route to take. And decidedly not because he wanted to have some alone time with Elsa, as Hiccup had suggested without a hint of discretion. In reality, he would rather not be in the same space as her for the rest of the night. He wasn't sure how far he would go if things kept going the way they were going, but there they were, locked up inside a car together. Sitting side by side. Jack tapping his fingers against the steering wheel, and Elsa staring at the scenery through the window like it was her first time riding in a car.

"So…" Jack started in an attempt at casual conversation. "Whatcha thinking about?"

"Hm?" Elsa looked away from the window give him a quick glance. "Just trying to organize some ideas for a new post."

That made him laugh wholeheartedly. "Don't you ever stop working, Queenie?"

She shrugged. "I had nowhere to write it down, and I didn't want to forget my thoughts either."

"What's your idea?" he asked curiously.

"You know the multi-verse theory?"

"That thing that's in comic books and stuff?"

"I suppose," Elsa mumbled. "Some scientists theorize that there are multiple realities besides our own out there."

"Okay…" Jack nodded slowly. "And how exactly are you planning on turning that into Babydoll lingo?"

Elsa sighed. "There's a part of the multi-verse theory that says that there would be a different universe for every decision you make. In a parallel universe, only one of us would be picked as the next Babydoll, in another one, The Underground wouldn't even exist. We could be sworn enemies living in a boarding school. I could become a writer, you could drop out of school..."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Jack protested.

She giggled. "You get my point."

"So you're saying that there's a universe somewhere where we're dating for real?"

Elsa flinched as if the idea caused her physical pain. "In theory, yes."

Jack raised his fist victorious. "Awesome."

She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I was thinking about writing something around the lines of all the what-ifs that haunts our minds, and that every choice we've made, no matter how small, were what brought us to where we stand now…"

Jack hummed. "I like it. We can add movie time-travel references."

"Sure," she said with a shrug.

"Well, you have my blessing. Go ahead and write it to your heart's content, Queenie."

She stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "Gee, thanks."

"So…" Jack restarted the steering wheel tapping. "In _this_ reality, what are we?" he asked, gesturing between the two of them.

"Where is this coming from?"

"Just answer me, Elsa."

Elsa stared at the dark street ahead as she gave the question some thought. "Acquaintances," she started. "Classmates, partners, fake lovers, undercover vigilantes saving endangered teenagers on meme at a time…"

Jack stopped the car. While Elsa listed their relationship's nuances, they had reached her house. He turned the engine off and looked at her.

"What about friends?"

The look she gave him was of pure incredulity. "Of course," she said.

He chuckled to himself. "I'll take that. This is your stop, Queenie," he said gesturing to her window.

She unbuckled her belt. "Thanks for the ride, and for dinner. I had a lot of fun."

"If you liked tonight, wait till our first date."

Elsa laughed as she opened the car's door and got out. "Goodnight, Frost," she said, leaning against the hood.

"I mean it, Elsa." Jack was smiling as well. "How about that date?"

"I'll think about it." She winked at him before closing the door.

He rolled down the window on the passenger's side. "Goodnight, Queenie!" he sang.

She waved at him as she made her way to her house.

Jack kept watching her until she was safely inside her house. And even after the front door opened and closed, he couldn't bring himself to start his car just yet. He leaned back on his seat, a smile lingering on his lips.

He was falling for that girl all over again.

"Fuck."


	4. Chapter 4

_"Who the fuck do they think they are?" Jack spat the words with contempt as he stared at his computer's screen._

 _Elsa looked up at him with a questioningly raised eyebrow._

 _"Check the message we just got," he said, making wide gestures with his hands._

 _She sighed. "It's your turn to answer the messages. I'll read whatever you write later."_

 _"Just check it, Queenie!"_

 _Elsa was about to chastise him for his lack of manners, but she thought about the unnecessary waste of energy she would be engaging in and changed her mind, clicking on the inbox button. She quickly ran her eyes through the short message and hissed. "What is this I'm reading?"_

 _Jack shrugged._

 _"I know who you are," the girl read, "and if you don't want to be exposed, you're gonna write a story about how Astrid Hofferson and Hiccup Haddock III were caught fucking under the bleachers last week." She raised her face to stare at the guy sitting across from her. "Are we being threatened?"_

 _"Looks like it."_

 _Hiro stopped by their table to refill their beverages. "Congratulations. It means you're doing something right."_

 _"That's… not reassuring at all," Elsa mumbled, rubbing circles on her temples._

 _"Can we tell the asshole who wrote this piece of shit to go fuck themselves?" Jack asked._

 _Elsa glared at him. "That shouldn't even be up for debate."_

 _"I could hack them and figure out who they are," Hiro offered as he went back to the counter._

 _Jack nodded, his eyes immediately lighting up. "Do it. Scoop up every bit of dirt they're hiding."_

 _"No!" Elsa slammed her hands on the table. She looked firmly at Hiro and, in a calmer tone, added, "Thanks for the offer, Hiro, but we're not hacking anyone."_

 _"Why not? They started it," Jack protested with a raise of his voice._

 _She shook her head, throwing a disapproving glare in his direction. "Doesn't matter. We are not letting some empty threat shake us like that."_

 _"Do you really think it's an empty threat?"_

 _"Have you done anything to give away your involvement in The Underground?"_

 _Jack leaned back on his chair and crossed his arms. "No. You?"_

 _"Of course not." Elsa sighed. "As I said, an empty threat. And even if it wasn't, we wouldn't let some random kid use us to fuel a ridiculous rumor like that. That would be taking The Underground back to its toxic days."_

 _He made a pause before he concluded, "So we just ignore it."_

 _She nodded. "Exactly."_

 _"And if we're wrong, and they actually know who Babydoll is?"_

 _She shrugged. "Then we deal with it."_

 _He smirked at her. "Go down in flames together?"_

 _"Or call an early retirement."_

 _Jack snorted throwing his head back. "Yeah, that doesn't sound as fun."_

 _"You're the kind of person who would find watching the Titanic sink entertaining, aren't you?"_

 _"As long as my Rose was safe." He winked._

 _A gagging sound left Elsa's throat. "Delete that threat message and get back to work, Frost."_

* * *

 **The Underground**

 _Where Hawthorne High's student body can let their words fly high and free in the comfort of anonymity._

Inbox is open for submissions. Keep in mind that identities will be kept secret and Babydoll does not tolerate hatred, cursing or any sort of disrespect.

We are all taught at some point in our lives about the butterfly metaphor. It's one of those pieces of knowledge you don't remember how you acquired exactly, but it's carved there in the depths of your mind, and you just know what it means. Then we end up counting the days for our butterfly moment to come. That magic change from the weird caterpillar to the majestic butterfly. Don't lie, we've all been there before.

If you think about it, isn't it what teenagehood is all about? Surely, we don't grow wings (unless you're a superhero from a comic book, and if you are, call me, Babydoll has a soft-spot for altruistic protagonists with misfortuned backgrounds), but we literally have a rush of hormones changing our bodies from the inside out to prepare us for adult life. Our physiology changes, we get all those annoying side-effects like acne, hair and a whole closet of clothes that don't fit anymore. Even our view of the world ends up changing in the process. So there you have it, folks: your so eagerly awaited butterfly moment. Talk about glamour, am I right?

Oh, well... Disappointments aside, that's just how things work for most of us. Accept it, but don't forget to make good use of those changes, because once the metamorphosis is done, you can't go back, and if you don't watch what you're becoming, you can turn into a moth instead. And good luck living your life as a presage of death and evil. Yikes.

But going back to the astounding and magical butterflies and their metaphor, there's something we don't really talk about, and that's the chrysalis phase. Before becoming a beautiful winged insect, the caterpillar has to destruct all of its cells and reconstruct its body from scratch. It lies there in a coffin of its old skin for nearly a month isolated from the rest of the world. What would you do if you had twenty days for yourself, floating in a pool of your own goo? What would you do if you were on your own and had nothing else in the world that could distract you? What would your chrysalis self be like?

Babydoll here would take her days of freedom to detox herself from all the bad things in the world. We all have to put up with a lot in our daily lives. At times, good things can tire us out just as much as bad things. If given the choice, Babydoll's chrysalis state would be that: a break from life. A break. A moment to stop and do nothing. To evaluate what you see inside and out. To think about myself and to myself. A precious little moment just for me, myself and I.

But Babydoll wouldn't like her isolation to last too long. She loves her dear Undegrounders too much to leave them unattended. That being said, time to reply to some messages!

 **Stableboy:** Dear Babydoll, what's your favorite color?

 **Babydoll:** It changes almost as much as those silly mood ring novelties. Right now it's blue, which can be associated with optimism and peace. Fitting, is it not?

 **SquirrelSquirrel:** Dear Babydoll, do you still go to Flo's cafe after six?

 **Babydoll:** Whenever my Underground duties allow it.

 **silentvoice:** No matter what I do, they only see me as a friend. I was always there for them, I bought them stuff, I helped them with their homework, but they are always so dense and don't realize that I'm into them. How do I get out of the friendzone? Help, Babydoll!

 **Babydoll:** Not to burst your bubble, but have you ever considered that it's not meant to be? Babydoll is all up for encouraging her lovely Undergrounders, but sometimes, we're so blinded by our own emotions that we can't see the bigger picture. The other party is not obligated to reciprocate your feelings because you were a nice friend to them. Let them know how you feel, do your best and have hope, but don't forget to hear what they have to say as well. And try not to think badly of them if their answer is not what you wanted to hear...

 **lonely_princess:** Dark chocolate or white chocolate?

 **Babydoll:** Yes.

 **IHateHumans:** How many hours do you spend staring at your reflection a day?

 **Babydoll:** Not enough.

 **Secretly_into_you:** A, what would you do if I asked you out on a date?

 **Babydoll:** If you asked nicely enough, Babydoll would probably say yes. Fingers crossed A feels the same!

 **GetOutofMyRoom:** Dear Babydoll, do you have any tips on how to deport my little brother to Norway so I can go back to being an only child?

 **Babydoll:** Buy something to distract your parents. I recommend one of those smart devices that control the house's electronic functionings—that one will keep them hypnotized for days! In all seriousness though, don't send him away, you may still need someone to have your back and be your partner in crime in the future.

 **Smoulder:** You're a girl, right?

 **Babydoll:** Wouldn't you like to know? ;)

Keep fighting the good fight, Undergrounders.

Love,

Babydoll

* * *

Elsa was sleep-deprived and late, which, although rare, was still a terrible combination to be presented with. It basically resulted in a cranky Elsa prone to making mistakes she wouldn't make under normal circumstances. She was doing some schoolwork that had been postponed due to her obligations as the head of the Drama Club, and as fifty-percent of the brains working on the Underground's publications, and she lost track of time. She could argue that she had been too immersed in her world history essay, but that wasn't exactly the case. Surely, she did try to work on her homework, and to some extent, she accomplished decent results. But she also had other matters on her mind that kept distracting her and sent her on whirlwinds of memories, and thoughts, and feelings.

Elsa was supposed to go out on a date with Jack in a few hours.

To her bafflement, the whole fake-dating ordeal had affected her more than she ever expected it to. The attention they got when together was overwhelming, and having to be constantly aware of her actions took a toll on her energy levels. At the same time, as she got used to seeing through his standard cocky demeanor, she realized that his company could be somewhat pleasant. Down the line, they had become friends—hadn't she stated so herself that one time? And she found herself wondering… what if they were more? Should they take the risk and become officially girlfriend and boyfriend? She had her doubts.

Working with him on The Underground showed her that they had very different takes on most things and hardly saw eye to eye. Whenever she had to give way for them to reach an agreement, it left her with a bitter aftertaste, and she could tell that he felt something similar when it was his turn to yield. And although they improved in relying on each other and working together, she wasn't sure how their unstable fellowship would translate into a romantic relationship. It also concerned her that she had trouble discerning how much of his affection was real, and what was only for show. At first, she was able to separate his usual conceited demeanor from the showy chivalry he threw at her whenever they had an audience. But the lines began to blur at a scary pace, and she started to second-guess herself. It was getting harder and harder to determine what was him teasing her, and what was actually the kindhearted and sweet guy that he seemed to be deep inside.

And the closer they got, the more frightened she felt. She feared that falling in love would be for naught, and that after their deal was over, she would be left with a broken heart, a whole lot of insecurities and awkwardness (because, like it or not, they would still be bound to work together on The Underground regardless of their fake-relationship's outcome), and the loss of a dear friend.

No. She couldn't risk that. It was decidedly out of question. Period. So she would have to conceal her feelings in order to keep herself in check. She could do that. All she needed was some space. Yes, putting some distance between them would give her the clear perspective she needed. That's what she was going to do. And it only took her most of twelve hours to reach that decision...

Morning greeted her window, and suddenly she was too busy preparing herself for her date. She went through her morning routine as she would do for a real date—picking out a cute outfit, applying some makeup, styling her hair, making herself look presentable for romantic company… the whole package. Then, she snuck out of the house as stealthily as she could not to catch her parents' attention, or worse, Anna's.

In the safety of her car, and with her house disappearing from her rearview mirror, she realized how desperately she needed caffeine in her bloodstream. She figured she had enough time for a quick detour to her most reliable source of coffee out of home, and to the Lucky Cat Café, she went. Elsa drove mechanically, barely noticing her surroundings as her mind kept switching from blank to a turmoil of worry at the blink of an eye. Luckily, the streets were fairly empty, and her disattention didn't result in a car accident and her unconscious self bleeding to death behind the steering wheel.

As she walked inside, she was greeted by an excited voice. "Elsa!" a male called her.

She looked at the counter, and her eyes widened at the sight of her former mentor greeting her with his arms wide open and a grin splattered across his face.

"Tadashi!" She exclaimed, arms flying up and then down clumsily, her body and brain unsynchronized and unable to settle on one reaction to the unexpected encounter."You're back!"

"Yep." Tadashi made his way around the counter and approached her for a friendly hug. "Didn't think I would be able to meet you, though."

"Yeah." Elsa stiffly wrapped her arms around him before quickly letting go. "That surely was a surprise."

"Talk about timing, huh?" Tadashi laughed as he walked back to the counter. "What can I get you, Miss Coffee Addict?"

She checked her watch as she walked to the counter. "A cup of black coffee would be nice. No sugar, and you can leave out the sass too."

Tadashi chuckled. "You sure about that? It's on the house."

Elsa rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. "Where's Cass?"

"Doing inventory," Tadashi informed with his back to her as he handled the coffee machine.

"Hmm." Absentmindedly, Elsa started playing with the salt shaker on the counter.

"So I've been following The Underground…"

Elsa groaned. "Are you giving me a performance report again?"

"I'm not." He glowered at her from over his shoulder. "And even if I was, you'd get an A. You and Jack are doing a fantastic job."

Before she could stop herself from reacting, Elsa unconsciously sucked in a breath at the mention of his name. She untied her hair and started braiding it again, keeping her eyes on her lap to hide her faltering.

"The entries are pretty fun," he said, placing her order in front of her.

"They start to look dull when you read them over and over."

Tadashi scoffed. "Don't I know that?"

"What about you?" Elsa rested her chin on her hands and eyed him with exaggerated suspicion. "What's with the whole 'Mr. Med Student returns home just to play barista at his aunt's cafe'?"

Tadashi laughed. "Nah, I…" He rubbed the back of his neck in that way that she had grown to associate with him. "I'm meeting a friend."

Elsa leaned back to take a good look at him. She pursed her lips as she ran his sentence in her mind, then her eyes widened. "Oh?" One of her hands ran to cover her mouth. "Oh! You didn't tell me you were seeing someone. And from Hawthorne too?"

Tadashi's eyes kept shifting from side to side, and he avoided meeting hers.

"Yeah, uh… no… kinda," he rambled, color rising to his cheeks. "It's kind of a long-distance thing, and I don't think we're official or anything… But you know, Valentine's day and all, great chances of upping things today…"

"I see…" Elsa rubbed her hands together. "Well, I'm sure everything will work out, Tadashi."

"Thanks." Tadashi ran a hand through his face, embarrassment tinting his cheeks pink. "Would you happen to be free right now?" he asked with a hint of childish expectancy. "I have a bit of a… dilemma, and I could use some assistance."

Elsa breathed in and let the air out slowly, her gaze becoming unfocused. She bit on her lower lip as she nervously rubbed her fingers. Was her sleep deprivation pulling pranks on her? Probably not. The coffee was kicking in, and she felt alert enough. Then what was happening?

Apparently, the Universe had pitied her and was providing her with a decent way out of her so-called date. There it was: a guy she knew, and whose company she enjoyed and honestly missed, requiring her aid. A guy she shared a completely platonic relationship with, who also happened to have a significant other... or a potential significant other. Her relationship with Tadashi was something she understood. There were no confusing feelings there, no pretending to be in love with him, and especially, no Valentine's date scheduled—fake date or not. Things couldn't get as safe as that. In addition, Tadashi was as much Jack's mentor as hers. They owed him so much, and if he asked her for a favor, what was she supposed to do besides complying with his request?

"It's fine if you already have plans…" Tadashi added as Elsa didn't give him an answer right away.

"No, I—I had something scheduled, but he will understand," she said, being purposefully vague as she pulled out her phone.

"Oh, Elsa, I don't want you to cancel your date on my behalf…"

"No, trust me, Tadashi, it's not like that." Elsa chuckled, waving her hand to fake some nonchalance. She avoided his eyes as she typed a quick message and hit send. "So what do you need my help with?"

"Well..." Tadashi ran a hand through his hair. "Here's the thing…"

* * *

He looked like a total dweeb bouncing on the balls of his feet and looking around with his big sparkling eyes in hopes of spotting her in the moving crowd. He had to bite on his inner cheeks to stop himself from smiling too widely and looking like an even bigger doofus. If he paid enough attention to the people waiting in line, he would probably hear them sniggering and whispering about Mr. Handsome Schoolboy waiting for his girlfriend like a lovesick moron. Like he even cared what those peasants thought of him.

He felt the texture of paper inside his pocket with his fingertips, and the giddy smile threatened to surface once more.

He knew it was a fake date. Elsa had reminded him of that detail several times over the course of the week. But a part of it was also… not fake at all? He wasn't really sure if it was a good thing yet, but he knew—he knew, and no one could tell him otherwise!—that it was the tiniest bit real. He knew he was falling for her, sure, no denying that, but _she_ was also… acknowledging him in a romantic perspective back? He had been ignored-slash-resented-slash-despised by the girl for years to recognize her cold look of contempt from miles away. And something else had been added to the mixture in the past few days. The ice was melting, he dared say.

Whether he should do something about it or not was a completely different matter, though. Admitting that Elsa might have positive feelings for him was easy, and a pleasant boost to his ego, surely. But wanting to establish a real relationship with her was a little more complicated. Did he like her? Sure. Did she like him back? Maybe a little. Should they go for it? His reasonable side—which Elsa wrongfully claimed did not exist—told him that probably not.

 _But fuck, how he wanted to._

He wanted to be able to hold her hand for everyone to see and know that it was real. He wanted to be able to talk to her whenever he wanted to without having to be sneaky about it. He wanted to wrap his arms around her for no reason and mock her for being all flustered, and mad, and nerdy. What he wasn't so thrilled about was the hard work and deadlines part of a relationship with the girl. Dating Elsa probably meant way more effort and responsibilities, and he wasn't sure he was ready for such commitment. So for the time being, he was gonna leave things as they were. He was going to play the part of the fake boyfriend, and who knows? Maybe in the future, he could decide to sweep her off her feet, or he could even plot some other scheme to get her to spend time with him. All he knew was that he was having fun, and he wanted to keep having fun. Their remaining time together was limited, and he didn't want to do anything that would put it at stake. He could always figure out what to do later anyway.

He was savoring that prospect of their intertwined future when his phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket to see that Elsa had sent him a message.

 _Something came up_ , she wrote. _Can't make it today_

He frowned. They had discussed their plans together the day before. What sort of unexpected event could have happened in the span of one night for her to cancel their very public and showy date so out of a sudden?

 _Everything okay?_ he texted back with a hint of concern.

Her reply came soon after, _Yeah. I'll make up to you another time_

 _You better. You're making me miss out on free candy, Queenie_

 _I'll reimburse your next sugar hype_

 _It's a date_

His phone signaled that she had read the message, but no reply came after that. And he chuckled, because he could almost see her rolling her eyes, and calling him an egotistical idiot as she read it.

It slowly sunk in that his schedule had been cleared, and his shoulders sagged, and he felt a burning sensation rising to his throat. He could understand that something important had come up, but it still sucked that she wasn't coming. He was looking forward to spending the day with her. Gulping hard and opening and closing his fist to steady himself, he pressed dial on his phone and waited with the device glued to his ear.

 _"Sup, Frosty?"_

He breathed out, turning his face to the sky and closing his eyes. As casually as he could, he said, "Hey, Hics, how would you like two tickets for the amusement park?"

Hiccup's amused chuckle could be heard from the other side of the line. _"Are you asking me out on a date?"_

Jack let out a contemptuous snort as he began to make his way to the parking lot. "You wish. I was dumped."

 _"... Do you wanna talk about it?"_ Hiccup asked, and Jack found the hint of wariness and apprehension in his friend's voice to be awfully annoying. Though understandable, granted, he wasn't really up for it, and it weighed down on him immensely.

"I'm not depressed about it, Third," Jack muttered rubbing his eyes. "I'm hungry and feeling kinda dumb, but I'll survive." He pulled out the two tickets and stared at them until his vision blurred. "Do you want the tickets or not?"

There was a moment of hesitance, and Jack figured his friend was still concerned about him. Jack sighed. "Seriously, Hiccup, I'm fine, but I'll feel better if these tickets don't go to waste."

 _"If you say so,"_ Hiccup finally said.

"Where can we meet?"

 _"I'm at home right now."_

Jack unlocked his car and collapsed inside. "Alright. I'll be there soon."

 _"Are you sure you don't wanna talk about it, Jack?"_

Jack clenched his jaw, and his nails dug into the steering wheel. He breathed in through his nose, then slowly let the air out through his teeth, and shook his head to clear his mind.

"See you in a bit, Third."

* * *

"I'm not sure if I'm the most qualified person to help you, Tadashi," Elsa commented as she pulled out clothing items from a rack, inspected them and put them back. She repeated the ritual a few more times but didn't feel like she was accomplishing much as she did so. She had spent the duration of the drive to the store in cheerful conversation with Tadashi, catching up on his college life, or sharing updates on her highschool one, which, despite resulting in a very pleasant moment with her former mentor, had prevented her from devising a game plan for the task ahead.

"When you said you wanted my assistance, I didn't expect you to ask me to help you choose a present for your potential girlfriend."

"What are you talking about?" Tadashi asked from across the rack of clothes. "You've got great style," he gestured at her outfit.

She tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear and hid her face from his view behind rows of fabric. "Yeah, but I barely know her. I don't know what kind of gift she would appreciate at all."

"You're still probably better at it than me." He shrugged as he held a hanger at his eyes height and inspected it carefully. "You know what I was planning on giving her? A new hard drive and a pack of gum."

She chuckled shaking her head. "And they say chivalry is dead..."

"You see why I need your help?"

Elsa sighed. "So tell me more about her. Perhaps we can figure something out together."

He nodded. "Alright. So she's super smart, she's allergic to pollen, she hates tardy people…"

Elsa scrunched up her nose. "Maybe you could tell me about the type of things she likes."

Tadashi pressed a hand to his chin as he thought about her suggestion. "Spicy food?"

"... Anything else?"

"Sports? She's into stuff like running and biking."

Elsa's lips turned upwards, cogs turning in her brain. "That's a start."

She walked around to Tadashi's side and started pushing him to the other side of the shop.

"Keep talking, Tadashi, we need more data."

* * *

Jack had been bouncing between sulking and being mad and snappish the whole day. After meeting with Hiccup and dismissing the latter's motherly concerns with a nonchalant shrug and a wave of his hand, he visited several locations to kill time. He went to the arcade, then to the mall, then to the park, but everywhere he when, there was an infestation of couples, and soon-to-be couples, and wannabe couples. The v-day vibes were unbearable and maintaining his composure drained his energies. A part of him was also concerned about Elsa, for she had rain checked their plans abruptly and with no real explanation. He worried something had happened and being kept in the dark made him antsy.

So with all the gloominess and tightness in his chest, he decided to go home for a nice and very needed nap. He locked himself in his room and snuggled under the blankets, feeling comfort in his cozy nest of darkness. With some luck, he would sleep long enough for that depressing day to be over the next time he woke up.

He wasn't that lucky.

Sleeping helped, though, and even if he was still trapped in that same wreck of a day, his mood had been improved, and he felt almost normal again. He was sluggish, bored as fuck, and hungry, but a sample of his energy was back, and his mindset had switched into a more optimistic one. He felt like getting out of the house and doing something, but he had already spent the day slacking off like his usual self, so he wanted to do something different. He wanted to do something out of character for him, and that's when he decided that he would work on some of his Underground writings. Talk about a responsible bean! Oh, he could not wait to see Queenie's face when he told her that he took his damn weekend—the damn weekend she dumped him nonetheless—to work on the blog of his own accord.

With renewed enthusiasm, he grabbed his backpack and drove to the Lucky Cat Café. He walked inside the coffee shop already prepared to greet Cass with a charming smile and some sweet-talking but was greeted by someone else first.

"Jack!"

It took a moment for Jack to move from his spot at the door, such was his confusion. "H-hey, Tadashi," he said shaking the other guy's hand. "Not the Hamada I was expecting to find."

Tadashi leaned with his forearms on the counter. "Oh, you were looking for my brother?"

Jack pulled a stool and sat in front of Tadashi. "Nah, I'm just surprised to see you. For a moment, I thought I had slept for more than a couple of hours and you were future Hiro after a goddamn growth spurt."

Tadashi laughed. "Yeah, I'm staying for the weekend."

"Having a good time?" Jack asked.

"Sure am," Tadashi answered. "It's good to be back."

"And it's so good to have my two boys home again!" Cass jumped into their conversation and put a hand on each of Jack's shoulders, rubbing them affectionately. "Two cappuccinos for table five, Tadashi," she told her nephew before squealing and shaking the silverhead with her. "I'm so excited!"

Jack laughed. "Hey, Cass. Spoiling Mr. College Kid too much?"

"You have no idea," Tadashi said before his aunt could open her mouth. "I think I actually gained a couple of pounds since yesterday."

"It's my job to feed you." Cass shook her head. "You're too skinny anyway. Same goes for you, Jack. Make sure you eat at least a sandwich before you go home."

Jack nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

She squeezed his shoulders one last time before making her way to the back of the store.

"That's Aunt Cass for you," Tadashi said.

"She's something alright," Jack commented with a chuckle.

Tadashi snorted and excused himself to go deliver table five's order. As he came back, he clasped Jack's back. "Oh, man, I can't believe I was able to see both you and Elsa today."

"You saw Arendelle?" Jack asked with interest.

"Mmhm. She came for a coffee in the morning and I dragged her around town to help me out."

Jack frowned as he put the pieces together. "Wait. As in... _this_ morning?"

"Yup. It was nice catching up with her."

Jack clenched his jaw as a bunch of thoughts flooded his brain, his fists tightened into balls, his nails digging into his palms, and he felt his heartbeat rising and the pulsing loudly in his ears. He was suddenly overwhelmed, and he couldn't make sense of that new information. He couldn't even hear what Tadashi was saying anymore.

"...And it just hit me that all this talking is delaying you from ordering!"

 _That was the reason behind his date being held off?_ There he was, worried like an idiot, thinking about that girl, _falling for that girl_ , imagining that she liked him back when she was blowing him off for some other guy? And she didn't even have the balls to tell him so? Whatever happened to loyalty, and honesty, and all that bullshit she loved to preach about?

"What can I get you? On the house."

Jack was pissed. He was pissed, and he was about to snap, and he was gonna take it out on Tadashi, who didn't even know anything was wrong, much less that his dear protegée was a fucking traitor and a hypocrite. He had to get out of there before he did something he would later regret.

"Jack?"

"You know what?" Jack shook his head as he jumped off the stool. He grabbed his backpack from the floor and hastily made his way to the entrance. "I gotta go. There's Babydoll stuff to do, and I shouldn't neglect my duties, right?" He let out a forced laugh.

Tadashi seemed confused at the silverhead's sudden mood change. "Okay... Don't you want anything to go, then?" he suggested hopefully.

"Nah, I'm good." Jack waved and opened the door to leave. "See you around, Tadashi."

"It was nice seeing you again, Jack."

"Yeah. Sure."

Arendelle wanted to keep secrets and do things on her own?

 _Well, two could play that game._


	5. Chapter 5

_"Oh, God."_

 _Jack looked up from over his screen and found her tugging on her hair, lower lip pressed between her teeth. "What?"_

 _She shook her head. "I don't know what to do," she choked out weakly._

 _He frowned. "What are you talking about?"_

 _Jack leaned over the table to turn her screen towards him, and her lack of opposition concerned him._

 _Elsa had been drafting replies to some messages sent to The Underground. He ran his eyes through the one that had apparently put Elsa in her current catatonic state._

 _SuddenlyAlone: Dear Babydoll, my mom just died. What do I do?_

 _He hissed, cursing in his head._

 _Elsa pressed her hands together, and if he looked close enough, he would see her shaking. "What do we do? W-what should we write in a moment like this?"_

 _His mouth felt suddenly too dry. "I…"_

 _"We can't post this message."_

 _Jack frowned confused. "What? We can't just ignore it."_

 _"I'm not saying we do." Elsa sighed. "But if we post it, we will be revealing this person's identity. I mean, how many students have lost their parents recently?"_

 _Jack huffed. "Then what? Tadashi said we can't message people directly. And even if we could, what words of comfort would help someone in a situation like this?"_

 _"I can't fathom how devastated they must be feeling." Elsa let out a mixture of sob and laugh. "And we can't help them."_

 _A suffocating silence grew between them._

 _Jack stood up and started pacing, his hand frantically messing his hair. He stopped with his back to her and said, "You're right."_

 _It was Elsa's turn to show confusion. She quietly stared at him as he slowly made his way back to their table._

 _"We make lists of funny cat videos and give dating advice." His eyes locked with hers. "We are not prepared for this."_

 _Elsa opened and closed her mouth, her lips trembled, but no words came out._

 _Jack sighed. "Which is why we'll consult with Calhoun, and we will work with the school counselor." He leaned back with his arm against the backrest. "And if things come to it, I'll talk to them myself. Not as Babydoll, but as Jack."_

 _"Why you?" she asked with a frown._

 _He winked with his usual playfulness. "Because I'm a people person, and I'm better at making friends than you."_

 _She crossed her arms. "I can't let you handle this alone."_

 _Jack threw his arms in the air. "Put a little faith in me, Queenie."_

 _"It's not that." She shook her head vehemently. "My point is that we're supposed to work together."_

 _Jack hummed scratching his chin. "I'll still consult with you," he reasoned._

 _"You better," she agreed._

 _"You can be the brain behind my actions."_

 _Elsa's eyebrows arched upwards. "You just admitted you are an idiot."_

 _He pouted. "Did not. I only said that you are the brains, and I am the charm of this little partnership."_

 _Jack winked again, and she rolled her eyes._

 _"Together, Queenie, we can rule the world."_

* * *

 **The Underground**

 _Where Hawthorne High's student body can let their words fly high and free in the comfort of anonymity._

Inbox is open for submissions. Keep in mind that identities will be kept secret and Babydoll does not tolerate hatred, cursing or any sort of disrespect.

Did you know that there were only male actors back in Ancient Greece? No, today's topic is not the sexist roots of early civilizations, although that will be approached in depth some other time. Today, we're talking about how actors managed to become different people when they walked on stage. They were able to play many roles in the same spectacle with the clever use of some old-school party tricks.

In Greek theatre, characters portrayals relied greatly on face coverings. Masks gave actors features, gave them emotions, gave them a whole new identity in a snap. It enabled actors to adopt new personas, and they walked around hiding their true identities and lying their asses off to whoever was willing to listen. Unfortunately, because of the materials they were made of, none of those relics survived to see the light of day. Shame, but not to worry, Undergrounders, because even though their physical forms no longer exist, their metaphorical cousins are still up and around.

I mean, who hasn't mistaken a friend from a phony in this day and age? I'm not saying that it's the easiest thing to do, but it's pretty high on the list. You think you know someone to find out that they were hiding behind a bunch of masks, and they were lying to you all along. You've been through so much together, surely they've got your back, right? If only it was true. No matter how many years you've known them, or how nice they've been, you can't know whether they were being honest, or if they were wearing a mask all along. Oh, and don't let yourself be fooled by empty concepts like 'friendship', or 'loyalty'. The sanctity of those words has probably been corrupted around the same time as Adam and Eve got kicked out of Eden.

Am I being dramatic? Maybe. But who would Babydoll be without her daily dose of drama, am I right? Speaking of drama, make sure to stop by the Drama Club's staging of Cyrano de Bergerac on Saturday. You know no start shines brighter than Babydoll.

No messages today, Undergrounders. Babydoll is a little indisposed. But to put you in the mood, here goes a Shakespearean quote:

 _"All the world's a stage,_

 _And all the men and women merely players:_

 _They have their exits and their entrances;_

 _And one man in his time plays many parts."_

 _—Jaques in As You Like It (W. Shakespeare)._

See you on stage,

Babydoll.

* * *

Elsa stomped down the hallways, ignoring all teenage excitement around her. She sped past her fellow students, faces blurring together as she focused only on finding him. In her hurry to locate the world's biggest idiot, she ended up bumping into people, but she couldn't bring herself to bother at the moment. She had more important matters to take care of. She stopped right behind him and cleared her throat loud enough to be heard, tapping her foot as she waited for him to turn around.

He looked at her with an arched eyebrow.

"I need to talk to you," she informed and continued down her path, not giving him time to protest.

"No 'good morning', or 'how was your weekend, Jack?'," he mocked as he dragged his feet after her.

She led them to a secluded corner and turned on her heels to glare at him. Her eyes were hard, and her jaw was tightly clenched. She had her arms crossed and seemed to be having a hard time breathing in a steady rhythm. If he wasn't already done with her attitude, he would feel intimidated, but he was done with her attitude, so he didn't.

She took a quick look around to make sure that they were indeed alone, then hissed, "What the hell were you thinking?"

He shrugged. "Whether there's an afterlife or not."

"What?" she spat.

"That's what's been occupying my mind." He moved so he could lean his back against the wall.

"Oh, really?" Elsa's eyes narrowed. "Not the new Babydoll post that was up this morning?"

A smirk formed on his lips. "You saw it?"

"I did. And I repeat myself, Frost: what the hell were you thinking?"

Jack folded his hands behind his back. "It came out pretty good huh? I'm proud of myself for that one."

Elsa threw her hands in the air. She closed the distance between them and poked him in the chest. "What is wrong with you? Why did you write that"—she poked him again—"and without"—poke—"even"—poke—"talking"—poke—"to me?"

He grabbed her wrist and held it next to her face. His eyes darkened, and his grasp tightened, making her unable to free herself.

"Well, I was inspired," he said coldly. "And aren't you always saying that I should be more proactive?"

She pulled her arm away from him and pressed her other hand over the reddened marks on her skin. "We had a deal," she said through clenched teeth.

Jack laughed, throwing his head back and scrunched his nose as he stared at the light bulb above them. "Oh, that's high coming from you," he mocked with fake humor. "Sure, let's put our broken promises on the table, shall we?" He gave a grandiose bow. "Ladies first."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "I'm not the one who risked us getting caught because of a dumb whim."

His fist hit the wall, making her jump. "You broke our deal first!" he snarled. "You—you fucking ditched me knowing what was at stake!"

"That's not—" She took a step back. "I said I was sorry."

Jack let out a contemptuous snort. "Right. And that was supposed to solve everything."

"Get over yourself." Elsa rolled her eyes. "It was all fake anyway. Worst that could've happened was people finding out we 'broke up'," she said making air quotes.

He narrowed his eyes. "You really don't get it, do you?"

Elsa huffed. "Enlighten me."

He pushed himself off the wall and walked towards her. He leaned over and only stopped when their eyes were on the same level, faces mere inches apart. "Why did you ditch me?"

"Because…" Her voice faltered, and she gulped once. "Because Tadashi needed me."

He kept his gaze on hers, their proximity as intimidating as the anger radiating between them. "And you just dropped everything and rushed to waggle your tail at him like the good girl you are."

She moved dangerously closer to him. "Watch your mouth, Frost."

"Or what?" he challenged with an arched eyebrow and a teasing smirk. "You're gonna dump me? Lie to me? Kick me to the curb like I'm nothing but a piece of trash?" Jack laughed turning on his heels. "Oh, wait." He looked at her from over his shoulder. "You already did all that."

"I didn't—"

"Oh, yes you did, Elsa." Jack shook his head, contempt radiating from his pores. "Are you seriously still crushing on Tadashi, Queenie?"

Elsa shook her head. "You don't know what you're talking about."

He tousled his hair, chuckling to himself. "You know, it would still suck, but it would suck a little less if you had just been honest and told me."

Elsa averted her eyes, her breathing becoming shallow and uneven. She felt a knot forming in her throat.

"Instead, you decided to go behind my back, and you still act like you stand on goddamn high ground—"

She shook her head, and hair covered her vision. Her eyes hurt with unshed tears, and she could feel her face burning with anger and frustration.

"You know what?" Jack laughed humorlessly. "I don't even care anymore."

Jack attempted to leave, but Elsa moved forward, grabbing him by his upper arm. She locked eyes with him, and they indulged in a staring contest against each other.

"We're not done here," she said quietly, her voice faintly stronger than a whisper.

"Yes, we are," he growled back, freeing himself from her hold. "I quit."

Jack turned the corner, and his words carried even after he was no longer be seen.

"Have a great life, Arendelle."

* * *

People were piling up in the auditorium entrances, some bolder groups even taking a risk and gathering inside, all in the hope of spotting the queen of The Underground among the Drama Club members. Her usual policy consisted of not standing out, nor causing turmoil, so when she first came face to face with the situation, Elsa presumed she could just ignore them and go on normally with their rehearsal.

Boy, how mistaken she was.

Their unwanted audience was overly enthusiastic, loudly sniggering and whispering to each other, breaking the actors' concentration, and delaying their club activities. At some point, she lost all the remnants of her patience and grabbed her megaphone.

"Anyone who is not a member of the Drama Club, nor are authorized to be here," she said glaring at the groups of random students, "I suggest you leave before you are forced to."

"Show us Babydoll!" someone shouted.

"Yeah, we came here to see her!" another voice added, and soon, the whole room was filled with incomprehensible demands.

Elsa pressed a button, and the megaphone cried a loud ear-bleeding screech.

"Goddammit, Elsa, a little heads-up wouldn't hurt," Eugene complained, sticking his fingers in and out his ears in an attempt to unclog them.

"Eugene, would you mind bringing the principal here?" Elsa requested on the megaphone, her eyes still firmly glued to the crowd. "Since people seem to have so much free time on their hands, I bet they'll be just as earnest to spend it in detention."

Eugene got on his feet, but before he could leave the stage, people were already scattering out of the auditorium. Some seemed torn and threatened to stay, but all it took was for Elsa to start a ten seconds countdown, and their indecision vanished. As the last few onlookers scattered, Elsa turned around to face the cast.

"Back to your places, everyone," she said. "And if you know what's best for you, you will not say another word about Babydoll where I can hear you."

* * *

"Earth to Frost?"

Jack snapped out of his daydream with a startled jump. He looked around disorientated and slowly made sense of his surroundings. He was in the locker room, sitting on a bench, staring at nothing with Hiccup snapping his fingers in front of the former's face.

"What?" The silverhead pressed his hand to his eyelids. He noticed how awfully quiet the room was and frowned. "Where's everybody?"

"They left." Hiccup shrugged and went to sit beside the other guy. "You've been staring at that wall for some good twenty minutes." He pointed at the half put-on shirt Jack had tangled around his forearms.

"How are you enjoying the show?" Jack asked, straightening up and flexing his muscles.

Hiccup laughed, rolling his eyes. "Your skinny, half-naked body is less impressive than you imagine. And I would rather enjoy a milkshake at The Edge, thank you very much."

"Let's go grab some then," Jack said, finishing putting his clothes on and grabbing his backpack. "On me."

"My, what did I do to deserve such a delightful treat?" Hiccup asked, pushing himself up.

"Yeah, just don't get too used to it."

As they made their way around school, they noticed a great volume of students wandering around. The place was still very busy for an afternoon, and Jack made the mistake of commenting on that.

"Probably has something to do with the Babydoll manhunt." Hiccup frowned for a moment. "Or womanhunt?"

Jack clicked his tongue. "Right..."

"Looks like the drama club is being super harassed because of this morning's post."

"Hmm…" Jack hummed absentmindedly. "That's rough."

"Sure is," Hiccup agreed.

"You still need a ride?" Jack asked as they got to the parking lot.

"No, my bike is back."

"Okay." Jack nodded. "Race you to The Edge, then."

* * *

She shouldn't be surprised that Calhoun had called them to her office. But it still did. And it irked her that she had been summoned for something that was so not on her. She had been sitting there, watching Calhoun tapping a finger at the rhythm of the clock on the desk. She considered saying something first, but chickened out and patiently waited for the slap on the wrist she was about to receive.

"Seems like your partner decided not to show up," the principal said.

"Seems like it." Elsa shrugged. Keeping her voice as calm as she could, she added, "Which doesn't surprise me, since he quit this morning."

Calhoun's eyebrows arched in question.

Elsa sighed, shifting on her seat. "After I asked him about that stupid post he wrote without telling me."

Calhoun groaned, rubbing circles on her temples. "I knew that having two of you was a bad idea."

Elsa said nothing, opting for staring at her nails instead.

"And why is Mr. Frost's brilliant literature masterpiece still accessible, may I ask?"

"I'm not taking it down," Elsa stated with a shake of her head. "It would feel like Babydoll was trying to cover it up if I did so, and that would raise even more questions."

Calhoun hummed impressed. "And how bad is the internet response?"

Elsa snorted. "Practically as chaotic as it is in real life."

"I expect you to have a plan of action ready."

"The best I could draft in the time I was given." Elsa sighed. "I'll take care of the backfire, and I will make sure to reply to the messages as nonchalantly and as ambiguously as I can."

Calhoun nodded and stood up. "I'm counting on you, Miss Arendelle."

"With some positive thinking, things will go back to normal within a week or so," Elsa said, getting on her feet as well.

The Principal walked the girl to the door. "And if you see your friend Mr. Frost out there, remind him to come to see me whenever he's available."

Elsa laughed a humorless laugh. "All due respect, Principal Calhoun, but I hope to never see that idiot again."

"I see." Calhoun kept the door open for Elsa. "That is all, Miss Arendelle. You may leave."

"Thank you for having me, Principal," Elsa mumbled before crossing the doorway.

"Yes, yes. Good luck with your duties."

Calhoun unceremoniously shut the door on the girl's face. Through the closed door, Elsa could still clearly hear the principal's annoyed grunts.

 _"Teenagers..."_

* * *

Jack was slurping on his milkshake straw in order to enjoy it until the very last drop of sugary goop. He didn't realize he was doing that, though. In his head, his cup had gone from overflowing with creamy goodness to the Sahara Desert dry like black magic, and he had no idea where his beverage had vanished into.

"I don't think there's anything left in there, big guy," Hiccup mocked from the seat across from him.

Jack threw the empty cup in the trash can with a discontent grunt.

"You're distracted," Hiccup stated.

Jack shrugged. "Maybe." He lied down on the bench, using his arms as a pillow.

"Why is it that…" Jack started slowly, his voice carrying a hint of vulnerability uncommon to him, "revenge makes you feel like you're on the top of the world in one moment, and then like shit in the other?"

There was a pause, and Jack lifted himself on his elbows to stare at his friend. "Well?" he asked making circles with his hand.

"Sorry, I thought that was a rhetorical question," Hiccup mumbled apologetically.

Jack fell back against the bench.

Hiccup sighed. "Do you wanna tell me what happened?"

But Jack only replied with a snort.

"Okay…" Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck as he organized his thoughts. "I'm gonna be very generic here then."

Jack closed his eyes and listened intently to his friend's voice.

"Someone… did something to you that made you feel entitled to strike back," Hiccup theorized. "And it gave you satisfaction, because, in your head, it made them understand how they made you feel."

"But you feel shitty now because despite acting like a total asshole most of the time, you actually are a decent human being. And you will not feel okay until you make things right with that someone."

Jack let Hiccup's words sink in for a moment. With his eyes still closed, Jack took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Third… I screwed up."

"Does it have anything to do with your rant post on The Underground?"

Jack immediately sat up. He glared at the auburn-haired guy in disbelief. "W—What? You knew?"

Hiccup gave a nonchalant shrug. "I had my suspicions. You're the only person I know who can quote Mean Girls in their daily life."

Jack kept staring at him, his jaw dropped and confusion written all over his face.

"But your vocabulary is a little limited," Hiccup added. "And Babydoll writes a lot of words, so I knew there was something else there… It all made sense when you added Elsa to the equation."

Jack shook his head. "You sneaky son of a bitch." He pointed an accusing finger at the other guy. "You knew this whole time?"

Hiccup shrugged sheepishly. "I'm a smart boy."

"Huh." Jack crossed his arm, a part of his brain still having trouble assimilating the news. "I cannot believe this."

"Yeah, yeah, you feel betrayed." Hiccup rolled his eyes. "So? Whatcha gonna do to get her back?"

"Who said—"

"You're a stubborn idiot who doesn't know when to give up." Hiccup laughed eagerly. "Of course you're gonna do something stupid."

"I've already done something stupid," Jack mumbled, running a hand through his hair.

"Then it's time you do something crazy."

Jack frowned, the cogs in his brain starting to move, and a plan starting to form in the back of his mind. "You know what, Third? You've made a very valid point."

"I'm happy to be of your assistance." Hiccup held out his closed hand, and Jack bumped fists with him.

"Good thing you said that, handsome. Because I'm totally gonna need your help."


	6. Chapter 6

_Jack carefully watched her micro-expressions as she finished reading his drabble._

 _"What do you think?" he asked as she pushed the computer to the side._

 _She sighed, leaning back on her chair. "Doesn't really feel like you."_

 _He frowned. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"_

 _"I'm not entirely sure..."_

 _He shrugged. "Well, I think it's fine. Tadashi said a change of style was fine every once in a while."_

 _Elsa hummed in thought while tapping on the table with her index finger. "I think we should wait, though."_

 _"Why? What else do you need to add?" he snarled defensively. "Look, I've done my research like a good boy—"_

 _"It's not that," she cut him short. "I just think we should wait for a rainy day to post it."_

 _He stared at her as he waited for elaboration._

 _"It will be easier to relate to," she explained with a shrug._

 _Jack nodded. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."_

 _She smirked at him. "Which also means you have to think of something else to write."_

 _He groaned, throwing his head back. His eyes narrowed as he inspected the patterns on the ceiling._

 _"How about death?" he suggested after a while of silence._

 _She frowned as she watched him, then asked with concern, "Are you okay, Frost? You're acting a bit gloomy today."_

 _Their eyes met, and he pushed himself to sit up. "I'm fine," he replied nonchalantly. "Did you know that pharaohs used to bury their corpses with a bunch of treasures because they thought vases of gold would be useful in the afterlife? They even left servants locked inside the pyramids for the same reason."_

 _"Is that so?" She smiled. "And did you know that some animals like elephants have their own version of funerals?"_

 _He pouted. "Okay, I did not know that."_

 _"Make it your next topic of research then."_

* * *

The sound of rain hitting the rooftop woke her up hours before her alarm clock was supposed to. She tried to go back to sleep, but the constant drip-drop disturbed her drowsy mind. As the rain continued, and her brain fully woke, she started to feel a heavy weight pressing down on her chest. She shifted from side to side in bed, attempting to get comfortable under her fluffy blankets, but she couldn't shake off the chill that ran down her body. Restless and in a bad mood, she sat up, rubbing the sleep off her eyes. The air was cold, and the dim light coming from outside threw an ethereal shade onto the room. Slowly, she dragged her feet to the window and rested her forehead against the glass. She watched the street: dark silhouettes that she could identify if she looked hard enough and streaks of water crossing the sky. She sighed, and her breath fogged the glass near her lips. Usually, rain would have a soothing effect on her. This time, she only felt melancholy and an emptiness in her heart.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it was enough for her to fall asleep while sitting on the window sill. By the time she woke up again, her skin was cold, and the rain had diminished to a light drizzle. She had had a dream, but the details were blurry. The dream felt familiar as if she had lived it before. She pressed a hand to her forehead as she tried to remember, and it clicked. She rushed to her desk and pulled out her notebook computer. She had some adjustments to make, and she had little time to do it.

Tying her hair up in a loose bun, she started working.

* * *

 **The Underground**

 _Where Hawthorne High's student body can let their words fly high and free in the comfort of anonymity._

Inbox is open for submissions. Keep in mind that identities will be kept secret and Babydoll does not tolerate hatred, cursing or any sort of disrespect.

I'm probably not the only one who feels melancholic on rainy days. Apparently, there are some scientific reasons behind that, and it's not just a reaction to humidity limiting Babydoll's wardrobe options... As it turns out, it's not really the rain, but the amount of sunlight that is directly linked to our mood. Sun makes us happy, makes us feel positive. It hits us up with that healthy shot of serotonin and gives us hopes and warms our hearts. When it's sunny outside, you have more energy, you move more, live more.

No sun, on the other hand, means no vitamin D is absorbed, which in consequence means less serotonin is produced in the body. Now, it's not really Babydoll's thing to go all nerdy on her beloved Undergrounders, so let's keep our conversation easy and simple to understand, okay? Serotonin, as you may have learned before, has great functions in the human body. It helps regulate your sleeping, eating, and digesting. It is also known as the happiness chemical because it helps to balance our mood. You can see how serotonin deprivation can lead to negative emotions.

Besides rainy days making you gloomy and upset, they can also have the effect of making you thoughtful and introspective. Something about being trapped in a closed space with that rhythmical pitter-patter against the window and the cold and grey sky outside really gives you time to think. And you can think about a whole lot of things. Sure, they can be happy and bright thoughts, but when you're already having a blue day, chances are that you end up having blue thoughts as well. Feeling sad is not a bad thing on its own, though. Sadness does not equal depression. Sadness is the body's response to hurt and a reminder that self-care is required. Sadness brings out our humanity. We cry, we feel, and we trigger a wave of empathy that makes us so much more connected to our emotions and our mind. Everybody feels sad at some point. And it's okay. No one is expected to be great all the time. Not Babydoll, and definitely not any of her beloved Undergrounders.

What we mustn't forget is that our emotions have to be seen to.

So next time you're a little bit down, assess what your feelings are, give yourself a little break and do what you must. Treat yourself, whatever it is that truly makes you happy, and don't think for a second that you don't deserve anything less than the best. Because you do. And if you don't trust yourself, trust Babydoll on this.

To the mail!

 **Steakandfries:** Who are you?

 **Babydoll:** That's the big question, isn't it?

 **ObcessedFangirl10:** Dear Babydoll, are you gonna be on stage?

 **Babydoll:** The world is my stage, honey.

 **doyouwannaknowasecret:** Are you alright? What was that post about?

 **Babydoll:** Life lessons, Babydoll's confessions, salty humor. Your regularly scheduled program.

 **iilovecandyii:** Was the last post supposed to be about someone specific?

 **Babydoll:** Well, you know how the saying goes: if the shoe fits…

 **babydollcankissmybehind:** So you're just as fake as everyone else, aren't you?

 **Babydoll:** I'm sorry if that's your take. Babydoll is true to herself, and that's what matters the most.

Because when the sun shines, we'll shine together,

Babydoll.

* * *

He saw Hiccup and the gang through the window as he walked to the shop's entrance. He intended to walk straight to the group, but someone seemed to have other ideas.

"Jack Frost!"

Jack's fists curled up as he slowly moved to the counter. "Hey, Tadashi," he greeted, trying to keep his voice as normal as possible. Jack gestured to Hiccup that he would take a while, and his auburn-haired friend nodded in understanding.

"I was hoping to see you," Tadashi started quietly. He leaned over the counter and added in a quiet voice, "I... heard about what happened."

Tadashi's secretive behavior sent Jack a very clear message. They were talking about The Underground. And he didn't know what exactly Elsa had told their antecessor, but considering the last interaction he had with the girl, he could only assume that they weren't very pleasant things.

"Yeah…" Jack scratched the back of his head. "Sorry to let you down, Tadashi."

"You didn't let me down, Jack," Tadashi said with a sad smile.

Jack frowned with confusion. "I didn't?"

Tadashi chuckled. "No, I'm just concerned."

Jack looked at the other guy, confusion written on his face. "Why?"

"Because I'm your mentor. I'm supposed to look out for you," Tadashi replied gently, then looked around furtively and leaned closer to whisper, "This stays between the two of us, okay?"

Jack nodded.

"You were my first pick," Tadashi admitted.

"For what?" the silver-haired guy asked before he had time to think. "Wait… as in…?"

Tadashi quietly nodded.

"Wow." Jack let out an uncomfortable laugh. "You must be regretting that one right now."

Tadashi laughed as well, his laugh sounding way more genuine and amused than the silverhead's. "I'm not. I trusted you to do the right thing from the very start. And I still do."

Jack felt at a loss for words. Back in the day, he had caught himself wondering about Tadashi's decision to leave The Underground to him and Elsa, but Tadashi was always nonchalant and dismissive about it. A good part of him always believed that Elsa had been chosen, and Tadashi was dared to pick a name out of a hat at random. He never thought that he had as much right being there as Arendelle. And it was awfully heartwarming. And humbling. And it made his childish tantrum seem even sillier.

"I…" Jack didn't know what to say. _Thank you? I'm sorry? Are you sure your brain is okay?  
_

"So he's the one, huh?" some unknown girl sitting at a distance from them asked, and Jack was one hundred percent sure she was staring straight at him. "The dipshit who tried to ruin my website?"

"Who—your website?" His eyes widened and he looked at his former mentor for confirmation.

Tadashi let out a tired sigh. "Jack, meet Gogo. My dear girlfriend. And also the lovely person who started… that thing."

"Girlfriend?" Jack repeated as if his brain couldn't comprehend the word.

Gogo saluted him with a raise of her cup. "Sup?"

"Hi…" Jack waved back. "I never thought I would actually meet you…"

"I'm just an ordinary girl, pal. I put my bra on one boob at the time like everyone else."

Tadashi facepalmed. "Way to weird the kid out, Gogo."

"I'm not..." Jack looked away just in time to spot Snotlout and the twins entering the shop. "I would love to stay here and talk more about your boobs—" He snapped his mouth shut, then mumbled, "I heard it the moment I said it, sorry. But I have a very important meeting to host."

Tadashi gave him a comforting smile and a thumbs-up. "Alright. I'm here if you need anything."

Jack rolled his shoulders back in a confident stance. "Thanks, but I got this one."

He bid the couple farewell and made his way toward Hiccup and the Hooligans. The gang was gathered in a loose circle, people either piled up on the loveseat or sprawled on puff chairs.

Jack cleared his throat as he reached them and spread his arms. "Good afternoon, everyone. Thanks for coming today."

"Why are we meeting in this stuffy dollhouse?" Snotlout asked with a scrunched nose.

"I think it's got quite the charm," Tuff argued, snuggling with a pillow in his arms. "Very cozy."

"Yeah, we're meeting here because I need your help, and what I say next has to stay a secret."

Snotlout glared at him with crossed arms. "What makes you think we're gonna help you?"

Jack shrugged. "You all owe me one, and you know it. Don't tell me you, of all people, forgot, Snotlout, about that time you were so high you tried to become an attorney for dragons rights."

"Okay, fine," Snotlout mumbled begrudgingly. "What do you need?"

"Before I get to that, there's something I need to tell you guys."

"Ooh, I know what this is about," Ruff said with a grin.

Jack stared at her with a frown. "You do?"

Ruffnut shrugged. "I've seen the way you look at me, Frost."

Jack opened his mouth to question her statement, but no words came out.

"You're in love with me," Ruff explained. "Understandable, sure, but you're not my type. I like my men like I like my steak. Thick, greasy, and the kind of thing you can eat with both of your hands."

Jack stared at the girl. He just stared. For a moment, he could do nothing else. "Okay, that was disturbing. And I'm sorry to rain on your one-woman parade, Ruff, but that's not what I was gonna say _at all_."

"Then it's Hiccup you're in love with," Snotlout suggested. "And you resented Astrid this whole time."

"I'm fine with that," Astrid said with a shrug.

"What about that Arendelle girl?"

"She was just a cover-up."

"I always knew Hijack was a thing."

"It-it's not a thing!"

"Everything makes sense now."

"No, it doesn't!"

"I am not in love with anyone, you muttonheads," Jack shouted, and as the conversation came to a stop, he quickly pulled a chair to sit with the group. He leaned forward with his elbows on his thighs and hissed, "Look, all I need is for you idiots to swear you're not telling anyone."

After a moment of skepticism, they all mumbled their promises, some with more enthusiasm than others.

"I…" Jack gulped once before continuing. "I used to write for The Underground."

"Hold on—"

"—Does that mean—"

"—That you—"

"—YOU'RE BABYDOLL?"

"Hey, jackass," a voice not belonging to any of them called, and Jack turned his head to find out that Hiro had stopped serving tables to glare at him and his friends. "Mind keeping your voices down? You're disturbing the other clients."

"Sorry about that," Jack mumbled, then, being reminded of something, perked up again. "Hey, Hiro, can I talk to you later? There's something I need your help with."

Hiro replied with a shrug, then left to return to his tasks.

As Jack's attention switched back to his group of friends, he noticed the different levels of acceptance in their faces. From Snotlout's complete denial to Tuff's confusion and Fishleg's silent overexcitement.

"I can't believe I sought you for advice," Ruff groaned, burying her head in her hands.

"You said you used to," Astrid said. "Past tense."

Jack nodded. "I'm not Babydoll anymore."

"Then who is it?" Fishlegs asked.

"Beats me," Jack said with a nonchalant shrug. "Could be Mr. Friedricksen for all I know."

Snotlout scowled. "Ew."

"Wait, how can you not know?"

Jack sighed. "Someone picked me, but I don't know who, or why." He couldn't stop his eyes from drifting in Tadashi and Gogo's direction. Fortunately, neither of the former Babydolls were paying attention to him. "All I know is that there was a new post I did not write on The Underground, and the password had changed."

"The same person who chose you must've chosen your replacement," Hiccup hypothesized before more questions could arise, and Jack thanked the auburn-haired guy with an appreciative glance. "So what do you need from us?"

"If I'm leaving my Babydoll days behind, I wanna leave with a bang." Jack's eyes lit up with mischief.

"... And I need you to be my arms and legs."

* * *

Sitting inside a stuffy car with no air conditioning while trying to juggle a notebook computer, a phone, and a milkshake was no easy task. But it was worth it, because the plan was working, and he couldn't ask for more. Except for maybe better internet reception.

"Tuff, you dumbass, I can see your reflection," Hiccup mumbled, his attention switching back and forth between his computer and phone.

"We just got a new submission," Hiro said from the backseat, showing the guys on the front his tablet screen.

Jack tilted his head to look at it. It was a picture of a coffee receipt and the statue of Thaddeus Burgess. "Who sent it?"

"Astrid and Snotlout."

"Add it to the queue."

Hiro nodded before returning to his previous position with his back against the left door and legs stretched over the back seat. It wasn't long until the boy's stomach started growling, the noise loud enough to be heard by all the car's occupants.

"I'm hungry," Hiro declared.

"Pretty sure there was an old bag of chips somewhere..." Jack blindly fumbled the floor behind his seat.

"Gross," Hiccup mumbled.

"Keep your stale chips to yourself," Hiro said with a roll of eyes. "This stakeout sucks."

Jack sighed. "Not to be mean, Hiro, but you did your part, you're free to go anytime you want."

"And miss the part where everything goes tumbling down?" Hiro laughed. "No fucking way!"

"Watch your mouth, kiddo."

"Ugh." Hiro pushed his computer aside and hung his head out the window. "Don't your school have funds for a better internet plan? And I'm hungry!"

Hiccup fished some crumpled up dollar bill from his pocket and held it in front of the tween. "There's a vending machine over there." He pointed at the school's main building. "Knock yourself out."

"Wait till I come back to screw up," Hiro said, grabbing the money and hopping out of the car.

"Language," Jack chastised.

"Wait till I come back to show the world the incredible extent of your capabilities," Hiro corrected himself before slamming the door shut.

As the older guys were left alone in the car, Jack grumbled, pressing a hand to his face, "One of these days, that kid is gonna get into some serious trouble because of his mouth."

"I think it's cute."

The silverhead snorted. "Hiro is anything but cute."

"I meant you caring for him, dumbass."

Jack hummed to himself, but said nothing more, focusing instead on his tasks.

At some point, Hiccup pulled his seat back and stretched his limbs. He looked at his friend from the corner of his eyes as he casually said, "So you're hacking into her account, and you're making the whole school ditch her play. How is that supposed to help you win her back again?"

Jack didn't even look up when he recited, as if reading from a list carved onto his brain, "Step one: undo previous damage and stop Drama Club harassment. Step two: apologize. Step three: charm the shit out of Arendelle, make her see how her life would suck without me. Step four: maybe go on that date we never went on, and everything is a blank page from there." Jack frowned for a moment. "It may have sounded better in my head. And now it's too late to go back."

"Don't worry, your plan is fine," Hiccup said patronizingly, making Jack mock-mimic his tone. "So are you planning on going back to The Underground?"

"Nah." Jack shrugged. "I told you, my Babydoll days are over. And I think it's about time Elsa and I talk face to face without hiding from everyone else."

Hiccup pressed his lips together, but couldn't stop the chuckles from coming out. "You're too adorable, Frost."

Jack scowled. "Shut up, Hiccup."

The backdoor opened and Hiro jumped inside, dropping an armful of snacks on the backseat.

"I'm back. What did I miss?"

* * *

"Hey, Elsa!"

Elsa looked around and spotted her little sister walking toward the stage.

"Hey," Elsa greeted, her attention immediately going back to the lighting inspection.

Anna stopped right beside her. "Everything set?"

"Mmhmm." Elsa's mind wandered as she watched the actors moving across the stage. "Just running some final checks."

"So there's nothing else for me to do, right?"

Elsa took a glimpse of the younger girl. Anna was rolling up and down on the balls of her heels. "I suppose not..."

"Great!" Anna jumped excitedly. "Then you wouldn't mind me taking off for a little while, would you?"

"And what kind of plan is in your mind, dear sister?"

"She probably wants to participate in the hunt!" Rapunzel shouted from the other side of the stage.

"What hunt?" Elsa asked.

"Babydoll," Eugene replied. "She put a target on her own head. She's snapping photos all across town. "

"What? That's not poss—" Elsa stopped herself just in time and cleared her throat. She hurriedly fished her phone out of her back pocket and shook her head. "That's ridiculous. What would the point of that be?"

"It's almost like she wants people to track her down," Rapunzel commented. "Like she set up a witch-hunt for herself."

Hans snorted. "A bitch hunt, if you will."

The website finished loading, and Elsa scrolled down the recent updates. They were right: Babydoll had kept herself busy posting photos all afternoon. In true Babydoll fashion, though, the photos were cryptic, each one a puzzle piece to add to the mystery that was her true identity. The pictures Elsa managed to load showed either a hint of a location or something that would give away the moment the photo was taken. What Elsa, and everyone else, quickly noticed, was that Babydoll never showed herself in the photos. She kept feeding her audience's curiosity but maintained herself just barely out of reach. She had to admit: the game was clever, teasing, and she could see how it would rile readers up.

Elsa clenched her jaw and breathed out through her nose as she looked at her sister. "And you want to participate in this hunt?"

"Me? Noooo…" Her confidence faltered the longer she stretched the monosyllabic word, and she awkwardly rubbed her arms. "Maybe?"

Elsa narrowed her eyes and waited, and as she expected, Anna groaned in defeat throwing her arms in the air.

"Okay, fine, I wanted to peek at it real quick. Does it mean I would go running around looking for some—some ghost blogger?"

"Yes."

"Shut up, Rapunzel," Anna growled, sticking her tongue out at her cousin, then looked back at Elsa, her face returning to a natural expression. "Anyway, shouldn't be a problem to just take a look, right? I promise I'll be back in time for the play."

The platinum blonde shook her head, and it was only then that she noticed the guy wandering at the bottom of the stairs. "And you're going as well?" she asked, and Kristoff shrugged in reply.

Elsa sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Fine. But don't do anything dangerous. Keep your phone with you. And be back at least half an hour before curtains open."

Anna threw her arms around the eldest Arendelle sister and jumped up and down. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Elsa!"

And before Elsa could change her mind, her sister was already dragging Kristoff out of the auditorium, babbling about her gameplan to track Babydoll down, words flying out of her mouth without a single pause for air.

"How come she gets to look for Babydoll?" Elsa heard Eugene mumbling.

"You're free to go as well," the blonde said matter-of-factly. "I'm sure your stand-in would love to take your place."

Eugene stood straighter and shook his head. "On second thought, I'm good."

"That's what I thought."

* * *

The play had gone pleasantly well, everyone had done a great job, and the night had ended with no out-of-the-ordinary occurrences. Movement had been a bit slow, but she guessed that was to be expected, what with that unexpected Underground event happening all around town. She had Babydoll to thank for that. And even with her constant reminders for them to focus on the play, Elsa couldn't suppress the bubble of excitement that had surrounded her companions. From the whispers she overheard, the hunt was still happening at full speed, and some of her friends had voiced their intentions of tracing back the clues as soon as the play was over.

They had thus rain checked their celebrations, and Elsa had returned home to the serenity and comfort of her own room. She sat on her bed with her computer on her lap and read through all the content that had been posted without her consent. A part of her felt annoyed at his nerves to act on his own and make such a huge mess again. Another part of her, though, applauded his operation, and couldn't help but smile at the fun he was clearly having sending people in that idiotic goose hunt. And a question lingered in her mind: _what could his motifs be?_

Elsa was still scrolling through the photos when she noticed her sister hovering around her doorframe, and the former pulled her headphones off with a curious look.

"You might want to go to your window, sis."

"Why?" Elsa asked with a frown, but her sister only shrugged and hid behind the wall.

Suspicious, Elsa opened the window, and as she did so, she heard Evanescence's Bring Me To Life playing, and she saw a silver-haired idiot standing under the window with a pair of speakers held high above his head.

"Frost?" Elsa leaned over the window frame to get a better look at him. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm courting you," he replied, mockingly. "Obviously."

"Is this another one of your jokes?" she glowered.

"It's not. I'm serious this time."

Elsa laughed. "Sorry if I don't believe you."

"Ouch." Jack faked a pained expression. "Can you come down here? My neck is starting to hurt."

Elsa pulled her head back inside. "Goodnight, Frost."

She moved to close the window but stopped as the music's volume went up. She immediately froze and glared at him, and the idiot found fitting to smirk back at her.

"Look, I've got a spare battery and nowhere else to go. We can do this the whole night, Queenie."

Her eyes narrowed, and she angrily shouted, "You are insufferable!"

"And you're a stuck-up snob." He rolled his eyes. "Now come downstairs so we talk like civilized people."

Elsa glared at him, but he remained unshaken. His confidence didn't falter, feet planted to the ground, arms high, and stupid speakers blaring the song on repeat. Fearing that he would actually stay there the entire night, she caved first, and unwillingly stomped all the way to the yard. She stopped in front of him, arms crossed and chin held high.

At the sight of her, Jack lowered the speaker's volume but left the song playing in the background. "Told you I was a boombox kind of guy."

"This is invasion of property," she stated.

He shook his head. "Is not. Your folks know I'm here."

"They do?" Elsa frowned and checked the window behind her just in time to see a head of strawberry-blonde hair hiding behind the curtains.

"How else was I supposed to know which window was yours?"

Her eyes drifted from the window and met his. Silently, she grabbed his wrist and led him to a blind spot behind a tree.

"I thought you were sick of dealing with a hypocrite like me," she spat out.

"I was." Jack shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. "But then I realized I liked having a hypocrite nerd around."

Elsa crossed her arms. "Did you seriously come here to insult me?"

Jack took a step back. "No—I was trying to apologize."

"You're not doing a good job."

The silverhead groaned, running a hand through his hair. "It's pretty boring not having you to antagonize anymore."

"Am I supposed to feel flattered by that?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

He shrugged and pressed his lips together.

"I saw what you did today."

"Yeah?" There was a hint of hope in his voice.

"You were reckless."

Jack chuckled and gave her a wink. "You know me."

"How did you do it, anyway?" Her eyes narrowed. "You don't have access to the account anymore."

"Hiro helped. Also, GoToHellFrost248? Not cool, Elsa."

"Seemed fitting at the time," she replied nonchalantly.

Jack sighed, his shoulders sagging down. "I tried to lead people's scent off the Drama Club. Did it work?"

Elsa shrugged. "Only time will tell."

Jack hummed, scratching the back of his neck.

"But if it's any indication of what to expect, at least the Drama Club seemed to fall for your stupid stunt."

"They did?"

Jack's eyes sparkled with joy, and she had to cover a chuckle with her hand.

"I will have to report to Calhoun on Monday," she admitted.

"Yeah…" Jack chuckled sheepishly. "I didn't think about that."

"I figured that much."

"Want me to come to apologize with you?"

"No, you've already done plenty."

"As in a 'thanks for the rescue, jack, I'll take it from here' way, or as in a 'Jack, you piece of shit, stop screwing up and get the hell out of my life' way?"

Elsa shrugged. "Somewhere in between."

Jack scoffed. "That's… Not very good."

"I think it fits you perfectly."

"Thanks?"

"I…" Elsa took a deep breath. "I apologize for ditching you."

"That's appreciated—"

"Can you please wait until I'm done?" she cut him short with annoyance.

Jack's mouth shut closed, and he stared at her with startled eyes.

Elsa let out a long tired sigh. "If you must know, I didn't ditch you because of some unresolved feelings I may still nurture as you suggested. I just needed a break from you."

"From all my idiocy and douchebaggery?" he joked.

"Quite the opposite, actually."

She watched him swallow and noticed how his lips tremble slightly.

"What… are you saying?"

She chuckled, lifting her head and taking a tiny step in his direction. Eyes locked on his, she whispered, "Why don't you try to figure that out, Frost?"

He breathed in, and she admittedly enjoyed seeing the timid frustration on his face. He swallowed again. "I'm... not that smart...as you may know by now..." His right hand went to gently graze her jawline.

She sucked in a deep breath and unconsciously leaned away from him. "What are you doing?" There was startlement in her voice.

His hands dropped. "Uh… trying to kiss you. What are _you_ doing?" he asked accusingly.

"I'm stopping you," she replied with rising annoyance. "We did everything backward last time. Can you really blame me for wanting to take things slow this time?"

Jack's eyes narrowed ever so slowly, and he carefully watched her, as if trying to read her soul. She shifted on her feet, waiting for him to speak. Then, out of a sudden, the threw his head back and let out a roaring laugh.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Elsa hissed and immediately covered his mouth with her hand, but his chuckles lasted to fade.

He held her arm, making her jump. In the dark, his eyes glinted, and they were so mesmerizing that she found herself enthralled by them. The intensity of his gaze gave her butterflies, and she felt the heat rising to her face.

"Is this slow enough for you, Queenie?" His free arm wrapped around her waist, and Jack pulled her closer. He was smirking as he moved her hand and pressed his lips to her wrist.

"You're an idiot," she mumbled but made no effort to get rid of his embrace.

"Yeah." He tightened his arms around her and whispered in her ear, "And you'll have plenty of time to get used to that if we're taking things slow, won't you?"

Her hands fisted around the fabric of his jacket. "Shut up."

She felt him laughing again, and she closed her eyes to let the sound of his voice comfort her. She could feel his breathing against her neck, the warmth of his body against hers. She let the tension on her shoulders relax.

 _Jack Frost was an idiot_ , she repeated in her head. He was a hopeless idiot who constantly acted without thinking and lacked common sense. He was an idiot who lost sight of his surroundings when having fun. Simply put, he was an idiot in the truest and simplest form of the word.

Jack Frost was an idiot.

And she was okay with that.

* * *

She was so focused on her own writing that she lost track of time as she drafted a new post for The Underground. Her muscles started to stiffen, so she took a moment to get on her feet and stretch her body. Absentmindedly, she watched the outside world through her window. It was a bucolic sunny day with chirping birds and gentle breezes. Time passed slowly as leaves danced through the air and people on the street went on with their lives.

Time.

Funny how one's perceptions could change so much in a short period of time. People changed every day, but those were gradual changes, unperceivable changes, small changes that you couldn't help but miss as they happened. It was only when you stopped, took a step back, and properly looked at your own reflection that you could see how detached from your previous self you'd become.

Elsa liked to think that way.

That she was constantly changing, some changes being bigger than others, some changes being greater than others. She changed because of what she lived, of the choices she made, of whom she met, and how they impacted her. As she looked back, the feelings of appreciation melded together in her heart. So many things had shaped her into the person she was, so many encounters and words and feelings had opened her to new chances. It made her hopeful for whatever the future held. It made her smile.

Energies restored, she returned to her desk and continued working on her draft. Just as she re-read her article one last time, her screen notified her of a new message. She couldn't help smiling as she read the short message and promptly wrote a reply. Before she was done with it though, her phone buzzed.

Not even bothering to check the device, she quickly grabbed her bag and rushed out of the room.

As her computer continued shutting off, an open tab showed on the screen.

 **Dramaking:** Dear Babydoll, I think I'm in love. What do I do now?

 **Babydoll:** Enjoy it.

* * *

 **I debated until the very last minute if they should kiss or not.**

 **Next, I have three main plots in hands, and I want you guys to tell me what you would like to read next. I may write the other two options someday, but who knows what other ideas I will have in the future. The options are:**

 **Option 1: Two people living across from each other never actually meeting. One mistakenly delivered package. One sleep-deprived idiot. An apology note. The snowball starts rolling down the hill. Come rain or shine, messy life or couch-crashing sister, nothing will stop the strangers from slipping little notes into one another's mailboxes every single damn day after that. **

**Option 2: "Hi. Jack Frost, professional toy licker." Do I need to say more? Because of some idiotic company policy, she's assigned to shadow the toy licking department (aka Product Safety Department), and shit goes down. **

**Option 3: Pretty, rich, perfect girl meets disaster and is deposed of her own company. She has no home to come back to, no family to call her own. He, an insomniac teacher, finds her tripping in an alley late at night and has no choice but to bring her home with him. **

**I'm also still writing Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover, so make sure to follow that as well.**

 **Thanks so much for reading and supporting my dumb shit.**

 **See ya!**


	7. Bonus

_"Snotlout, give it back!" Hiccup's nasal cries echoed through the classroom as his sketchbook was tossed between Snotlout and Dagur._

 _The poor skinny boy's frame against the two burly, taller ones made for a sorry sight, and Hiccup continuing to pathetically jump between the bullies for his notebook made the blood in Jack's veins boil._

 _"Hey, Snothead! That's not yours!" Jack shouted, jumping off his seat._

 _"Come and get it, loser," Dagur mocked, jogging to the other side of the room so they could practice their throws._

 _"I got it, Hics." Jack put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder before dashing off._

 _The silverhead watched as Hiccup's notebook kept being tossed from one boy to the other, and at one specific throw, he dashed forward, successfully catching the object in mid-air. What he forgot to consider was that physics would happen, and he_ _would be propelled straight to the shelves on the wall._ _He felt a pang on his left shoulder and curled up with his hands, protecting his head as heavy-sounding items started to fall around him._

 _"Oh, no…" he heard Hiccup choked out._

 _By the time the avalanche had ended, Jack was trapped in a nest of books, boxes of supplies, and one specific item that made him hiss._

 _A solar system model had shattered on the floor, planets crashing into pieces and plastic dust flying everywhere. The same project that had impressed their teacher so much that it had earned an honorary spot on the shelve… Elsa's solar system._

 _He wobbly got on his feet and trod carefully through the scattered items on the floor, trying to figure out whether the model was salvable or not._

 _And proving her impeccable timing, Elsa walked inside the classroom, her smile fading as she assessed the situation._

 _"Uh… Elsa, I'm so sorry," Jack sheepishly mumbled as he rubbed his arm. "It was an a—"_

 _She turned towards him, red cheeks puffed out and eyes brimming with tears, and silenced the rest of his sentence._

 _"You!" she screamed and stomped in his direction._

 _"I didn't mean to—Snotout was picking on—" He forgot was he was saying as a thick book slammed against his nose, darkening his vision, and making him lose balance. Hot liquid poured down his nose, and he heard someone telling him something, but his ears were buzzing, and everything felt too far and dream-like to make sense._

 _"Uh…" His eyelids were heavy, and he had difficulty keeping them open. He touched his nose and inspected his fingers. "Is that blood?" he wondered, feeling dizzy out of a sudden._

 _And then, to the startlement of Hawthorne Middle School's sixth-grade class, he blacked out._

 _And the screaming began._

* * *

 _"Are… are we there yet?"_

Jack looked over his shoulder and smiled at the sad sight that was his girlfriend. She breathed heavily, her hair stuck to her skin, her cheeks flushed, and her body arched forward as if holding her own weight was too big of a task for her at the moment.

"Just a little bit further," he said, slowing down his place and stretching out a hand to aide her.

She held onto his arm, less as a romantic gesture and more as someone on their last breath holding onto him like a human crutch.

"Is this… really your idea of a perfect date?" she asked between heavy intakes of air. "Seeing me all sweaty and out of breath with makeup smudged all over my face?"

"Kinda," he replied with a shrug. "But we're taking things slow, and this was the second-best thing."

He winked at her, and in her lightheaded state, she almost missed the innuendo in his words. As comprehension slowly set in and heat rose to her face, she tried to push him off, but Jack pulled her closer and nudged her arm gently.

He smiled encouragingly at her. "Come on, we're almost there."

Elsa grunted, pushing one foot after the other as he practically dragged her the rest of the way up the track.

"You seriously should consider exercising more, Queenie," Jack commented. "It's not that hard of a hike."

She huffed and opted for not giving him a reply. Instead, she focused on the path, making sure that she didn't trip on any loose pebbles, and kept going one painful step after the other.

With too much excitement for her liking, and not soon enough, he announced, "Here we are!"

"Oh, thank God." She slid to the ground and leaned back on her hands. Her eyes remained closed as her shallow breaths gradually slowed down.

"Well done, Elsa." Jack chuckled, offering her a bottle of water.

She took it appreciatively and sipped slowly. As her mind calmed down and her body stabilized, she looked around and was simply mesmerized. She could see the entire town from there, everything so small and tranquil from the distance… And the sun hit just in the right angle to give the landmark an ethereal appearance.

"Pretty great, huh?" Jack asked as he sat down next to her. He fumbled inside his backpack and started pulling plastic containers from inside.

She looked at him with arched eyebrows. "You really put some thought into this, didn't you?"

He shrugged. "Of course, I did." His eyes locked with hers, and his carefree smile made her feel those annoying butterflies in her stomach. "You better be prepared for a feast, Queenie. I make a mean PB&J's."

She chuckled. "I love peanut butter and jelly."

* * *

Jack sat with his head on the table, face hid in his arms, and he huffed and groaned, shifting around like a stubborn child.

"Give me attention!" Jack whined, his voice muffled by his hoodie, and glared at the girl sitting across from him.

"I'm busy," Elsa said as she continued to type on her computer.

He groaned, sitting up. "Come on, you probably have a whole week of stuff on queue already."

She ignored him and continued working.

He pointed an accusing finger at her. "You're not even supposed to work on Babydoll stuff in front of people. And I'm people!"

She laughed, shaking her head. "Are you now?"

"Come on, Queenie!"

Her fingers froze mid-typing and she glared at him from over her laptop. "Ten minutes, Frost. I asked you to give me ten minutes."

He threw his arms in the air. "Yeah, half an hour ago!"

Elsa rolled her eyes. "I would be done sooner if someone didn't keep interrupting my work."

He grabbed his mug for a last drop of coffee. "Isn't it about time you start looking for a replacement?"

She frowned. "Gee. Thanks a lot, Frost, you sure know how to make someone feel appreciated."

"You know what I meant," he said with a shrug. "We can't even go out on a date because you're so obsessed with that blog!"

"We went on a date last weekend!"

"Yeah, because I dragged you!" He arched an eyebrow at her and smirked. "Literally."

"Oh, for the love of God! Can you two stop?" Hiro slammed a silver tray on their table and pointed at each of them. "I am so done with your stupid love quarrel! You either shut up, or you get the fuck out!"

"Hiro! What are you doing?" Cass chastised, dragging her nephew from the arm. "I am so sorry, guys. he didn't mean that…"

Elsa tucked her hair behind her ear, and her blushing was evident. "No, Hiro is right. We… were a little loud."

"Yeah, sorry, Cass," Jack added sheepishly.

"We should…" Elsa mumbled, gathering her things.

Jack started helping her. "Go?"

"Yeah."

He nodded. "Right behind ya."

* * *

They sat on swings side by side, and Jack swung back and forth, going higher and higher each time. Elsa, on the other hand, had her feet rooted to the ground and leaned forward, pressing her fingers to her temples. The squeaking of the chains was starting to piss her off.

"Would you mind stopping for a second?" she asked, glaring at him.

Grumbling under his breath, he jumped off, and as he landed, he made sure to pose like an Olympic gymnast after a fantastic feat. He winked at her, but the action only produced a roll of eyes from her.

"So back at the cafe, that was fun…" he said as he sat back on his seat.

"It was all your fault, you know."

He glared at her indignantly. "My fault? How is it my fault?"

"You wouldn't stop whining!"

"Well, I would've stopped whining if you weren't a terrible girlfriend!"

" _I'm_ a terrible girlfriend?" she demanded to know, getting on her feet.

He laughed, crossing his arms. " _I_ certainly am not!"

She stomped her feet. "You're insufferable!"

"Well, you knew that from the beginning, didn't you?"

Elsa groaned and turned on her heels to leave.

"Hey! Don't walk away on me!" Jack shouted as he ran after her.

She narrowed her eyes. "Keep your voice down!"

"I wouldn't have to yell if you'd stopped walking away from me!"

She shook her head. "I'm going home."

"Oh, come on, Queenie!" He blocked her path and took her hands in his. He waited until her eyes met his.

She was seething.

"Hey…" His arms went around her, and he chuckled in her ear.

She clenched her fists. "Get away from me."

He held her even closer.

"I can't breathe!"

His hands slid from her shoulders down to her fingertips, and he wrapped their hands together.

Elsa glared at him. "You know, this isn't really what 'take her breath away' means."

"Oh, yeah, smarty-pants?" He asked with an arched eyebrow. He placed her arms on his shoulders, then let his wrap around her waist. "Care to teach me what it means, then?"

She tangled her fingers in his hair, and moving closer to him, she said in a low voice, "I thought you hated when I was nerdy."

"Yeah..." Her breath tickled his skin. He gulped. "Your nerdiness is fine..."

She chuckled. "Make up your mind, Frost."

"Can you please shut up so I can kiss you?"

"Is that really the best way you found to ask—"

His hand went to her the back of her head, and his eyes hardened. Trapped in place, she watched as he leaned closer, and his lips brushed against hers.

"Shut up."

Before she could counter with a reply, he was kissing her. And she kissed him back.

* * *

 **Yeah, as I said, outtakes. FYI, I sometimes come back to edit a few things here and there. So don't worry if you're reading again and some details feel different.  
**


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